Chinese man quits day job to train therapy dogs & help autistic kids

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Wu Qi, known as “the father of China’s therapy dogs,” recently became popular online after sharing that he left a lucrative programming career to dedicate himself to working with therapy animals.

Wu Qi, age 44, earned a computer science degree from Nanjing University and landed a comfortable job in the gaming industry. However, he decided to leave that career behind to pursue his passion for working with dogs.

Qi discovered his love for dogs at age nine when he rescued a puppy abandoned in a trash can. He explains that growing up with autism, this dog was instrumental in helping him learn to communicate and understand the world.

Qi got a husky as an adult. Huskies are known for being very energetic, and he quickly discovered they can be destructive if they don’t get enough activity. He found this out the hard way when he came home one day to find his couch completely torn apart!

To stop his dog’s unwanted behavior, he enrolled him in training, but the methods used actually made the dog fearful and hesitant. Seeing this change in his once cheerful pet, Qi decided to study animal behavior and learn training techniques based on scientific principles, ensuring dogs can learn good behavior without losing their playful spirit.

Chinese man inspires social media by training therapy dogs to help those in need

Qi began sharing what he was learning online and quickly gained popularity in China. In 2012, he appeared on a TV talk show and met a child with autism who surprisingly imitated the way Qi interacted with his dog – a first, according to the child’s mother.

Seeing this as inspiration, Qi started Paw for Heal, an organization that trains dogs to provide therapy and support to a variety of people, including children with special needs, those dealing with mental health challenges, seniors with dementia, patients receiving end-of-life care, and young people involved in the justice system.

By 2025, the organization had trained more than 5,000 dogs, with 400 of them becoming fully qualified service animals. They’ve helped over 150,000 people in total.

Qi is working to highlight the value of service animals in China. Currently, there are only a few hundred service dogs in the country, a stark contrast to the approximately 500,000 in the United States.

In a speech given in October 2025, Qi shared the remarkable story of how he went from being a video game programmer to becoming a spokesperson for therapy dogs. The speech is now spreading rapidly across Chinese social media and is resonating with people around the world.

A recent story is gaining attention online: a man in Turkey has agreed to pay thousands of dollars in ongoing support to his ex-wife, but not for a child – for their two cats.

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2025-10-27 23:51