Remember Maggie? This is her story as it appeared in a post Jan 2013 entitled “Maggie’s Successful Tale as a Therapy Dog.”
“All over the world, and especially for us in San Felipe, BC, MX, starving and abandoned animals wander our streets looking for a thread of human connection.
Dogs are meant to be in relationship with people. Yet, these street animals struggle to exist alone, abandoned, discarded and ignored. For me, this is a reminder of a greater life condition. How much love and loyalty go wasted, discarded and ignored in our own human worlds?
This Success Story speaks directly to the triumph of a connection made and a thread sewn to heal all Life, animal and human alike.
Meet Maggie, a San Felipe rescue, and a trained therapy dog. Her story begins as a pregnant street dog rescued by local animal advocates in the streets of San Felipe, BC, MX. She was adopted by a kind couple, Dusty and Mike Dennis who decided to train Maggie as a therapy dog as a result of a recent experience in caring for a relative in a VA hospital.
Maggie’s visits to senior homes and VA hospitals cheer patients. Michael Sturdivan, U.S. Air Force 1965-70, writes a poem about her:
Maggie is a raving beauty, a striking blonde.
She’s very tied up with her owner
And she’ll do whatever Dusty wants her to do.
She is very obedient.
Any time such a good-looking blonde walks in the room,
Things stop. All our worries stop.
Maggie brings in bright light
And makes you think of nothing but good things.
With her participation in the “Paws to Read” program, she enjoys having children read to her too. The stories of love for Maggie and other dogs like her can be read in Patricia H. Wheeler PhD’s book entitled Successful Tails: The Wonders of Therapy Dogs. It is a compilation of loving stories from patients and children, and shows how therapy dogs demonstrate loving acts that make recovery and learning possible for so many in need. Maggie’s rescue and transformation is an amazing story of triumph, rebirth and compassion. It is a story that gives us all great comfort in humanity’s ability to heal and recognize the true value of all life.”
If you would like to read more about therapy dogs and their ability to give healing love to children, seniors and our veterans, please visit Patricia H. Wheeler PhD’s website and read her book Successful Tails: The Wonders of Therapy Dogs.
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