My article From Shelter Dog to Therapy Dog: The Story of Murray was a finalist for a Maxwell Medallion Award in the 2018 Writing Competition sponsored by the Dog Writers Association of America. Cori received a Certificate of Nomination for excellence in the category of Magazine Article Rescue.
Dogs play a significant role in our lives. For some dogs help them stay grounded. For Colleen Perry, the gift was her shelter dog, Murray, who helped her therapy patients.
Here is an excerpt from my article From Shelter Dog to Therapy Dog: The Story of Murray:
For many, dogs play a significant role in our lives, but for others, these dogs help them stay grounded. Some dogs have the gift of helping people. For Colleen Perry, the gift was her shelter dog, Murray, who helped her therapy patients.
Colleen, a Marriage Family Therapist MFT, adopted Murray when he was about two years old. The adoption occurred about a year after Colleen lost her dog, Lucy. Murray was a shy shelter dog that Colleen’s partner Bob discovered sitting alone in the back of a cage at the pound. Colleen and Murray bonded immediately. Little did Colleen know that this dog would not only be the love of her life but would result in many successful therapy sessions with her patients.
It all began when Colleen discovered that Murray loved to go for rides in her car. She would take him everywhere, so she figured, why not to my office. After getting permission from building management, Colleen started to bring Murray with her to work.