McDuff's Life Lesson

I learned many valuable life lessons from my Scottish terrier therapy dog, McDuff, on our nine-year journey together. I write about them in my book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog. The one that impacted my life the most is being of service to others.

McDuff lived and breathed to bring comfort and joy to the elderly, sick, disabled, and school kids with reading difficulties. When I picked up his brown leash for a walk, he perked up. When I picked up his red leash used for therapy dog visits, he was ecstatic and the only time that he submitted to the dreaded grooming without a fight. Even though during the brushing he ate more of the bacon-flavored toothpaste than got on his teeth, he didn’t resist. He knew he had to look spiffy and not offend anyone with doggie breath.

Therapy dog volunteers know the positive effect their dogs have on nursing home and assistant living facility residents, hospital patients, school children, and the many other places where therapy dogs are taken. I don’t have McDuff anymore, but I still volunteer. The life lesson that I learned from him is that you get back so much more than you give when you help others. Whether it’s at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals or Paseo Verde Library, I know that when I help others, I help myself. McDuff taught me well.