My Therapy Puppy Has Arrived

A furry companion can help you heal

Dr. Paul, my friend, colleague, and co-author, first gave me the idea.

He told me that when he was recovering from painful shoulder surgery one of the things that helped him the most was his cat.

She stayed by his side, often curled up on his lap, for the entire time he was homebound. The cat not only kept him company. Her presence, he said, helped lessen the pain.

Then another dear friend and colleague, Dr. Ajana Miki, a naturopathic doctor based in Ashland, told me she’d gotten a new puppy and that caring for him deeply healing.

I asked a million questions, begged for photos, and felt like the universe (God, Spirit, Mother Nature, my higher self) was telling me to pay attention.

I’ve always wanted a dog

Ever since I was about five years old I’ve longed for a warm-blooded pet. But my mom was allergic to cats and my dad didn’t like dogs.

Still, as a young person I devoured books like Pack of Two and Marley and Me and was sure I’d get a dog by the time I graduated from college. So much so that my dad promised to buy me one when the time came.

That time never came.

I went on to graduate school, my dad denied ever offering (he did), and my life became so full of studying, traveling, and working that there was never an opportune time.

On one of our very first dates, twenty-seven years ago, the man who would become my husband and I talked about getting a dog.

We agreed that Rhodesian ridgebacks were cool. Bred to be lion hunters, protective, and smart.

But life got in the way again: having children, my husband’s relentless allergies, and my busy work and travel schedule made us both feel like we couldn’t handle having a family pet.

Borrowing friends’ dogs

Still, I always borrowed my friends’ dogs: taking them on walks in town or long hikes in the mountains above our house. I liked to puppy-sit when friends went out of town. When our youngest got a job walking Cosette, a stately jet black poodle who was whip smart, loving, and calm, I often accompanied her.

I wrote about pets from time to time, started drawing whimsical pictures of dogs and cats and other animals, and seemingly randomly read lots of articles about making your own dog food.

Then I got diagnosed with ocular melanoma.

Despite firmly believing I could save my sight, the ocular melanoma had a mind of its own.

It was fast-tracking inside my eyeball and its growth caused a hemorrhage. One day, though my vision had been coming back, I woke up unable to even differentiate light and dark with that eye. The blood that collected in my left eye now occluded my vision completely.

It also caused my eye pressure to skyrocket. This led to the most excruciating pain I’ve ever experienced and the need for the enucleation I’d been hoping to avoid.

Five weeks ago, I had my left eye removed, by an oculoplastic surgeon in Atlanta.

The recovery from having your eyeball scooped out of its socket by a melon baller has been utterly brutal an opportunity for spiritual and emotional growth.

In other words, I would not wish this kind of pain and discomfort on my worst enemy.

Enter Serenity

Two days ago I got a therapy puppy. Her name is Serenity.

“That is the worse name I’ve ever heard,” one of my children said to me. “You can’t name a dog Serenity. Oh my god, Mo-om, you are such a hippie.”

Said child plans to call the dog “SeeSee” for short. But her name is Serenity.

Before, during, and after surgery I have been saying the serenity prayer to myself, many times a day. I say it in the shower. I say it before I eat. I say it at bedtime.

In case you don’t remember, the serenity prayer goes something like this:

Please grant me (or God grant me) the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

The prayer has brought me great solace.

Serenity’s back story

Serenity’s other human mama (aka the dog breeder) has five children. Her husband died four years ago in September. Clark was recovering from a genetic heart condition that he’d only found out about a year and a half before. Though he had been doing really well, he died very suddenly, from complications from one of his medications.

Nicole told me she has always had animals and always understood the emotional benefits of having a pet. But, sadly, when her husband was having serious heart issues, their family had just lost their 15-year-old Australian shepherd, Einstein.

Einstein died just a few weeks before her husband’s open heart surgery. They weren’t able to get a new dog. Nicole had a 3-month-old baby at the time and had to care for her other four children as well as her husband.

That same baby, at nine months old, needed double hip surgery. Because of her husband’s recovery and the baby’s health problems, there was no way they could have a dog.

Two weeks after her husband passed away, the baby finally learned to walk. Two weeks after that, Nicole knew she needed more support to help her and her children process their emotions. She decided to get a puppy.

Everyone—literally everyone—thought she was crazy. But, looking back on it four years later, Nicole says it was the best thing she could have ever done for her family.

Her friend had just had a litter of golden doodles.

Nicole went to her friend’s house and sat in the middle of her floor. She sat quietly and asked her heart for the perfect puppy who could help her and her children to come to her.

Two of the puppies came over to sniff her, happy and waging their tails. But one stayed with her the longest. Nicole knew almost instantly that she was the one. This puppy wanted to be with her. “She picked me,” Nicole explained.

Two weeks later, when the puppy was six weeks old, Nicole brought her home. Her children were 15, 13, 9, 7, and 23 months old at the time. They named the puppy Millie.

Millie brought so much joy and solace into all of their lives.

She took a lot of the emotional toll of her children’s grief off Nicole’s shoulders.

Her presence allowed Nicole to heal her own heart, which allowed her to be their mom again.

Nicole says she was so broken at the time. And she knew she couldn’t find herself with all her children’s grief on top of her. And she also knew she couldn’t be a mom again until she found herself.

She was also thinking longterm, hoping that eventually breeding Millie could be a way to help the family’s finances. Perfect strangers, friends, and family members all commented on what an amazing dog Millie was.

Millie, Serenity’s mama, is patient, cuddly, calm, and very loving. She’s also intuitive about who needs her at the moment, understanding that her canine presence is a balm to her human’s wounded soul.

A science project for a grieving family

Millie’s first litter resulted in seven live puppies. It was something of a science project inside their home. Nicole’s children got to witness the puppies being born.

All five of them watched the birth, saw what it takes a dog to be a mom, and what it takes to take care of young puppies.

Her children learned from watching Millie and they also learned a lot of practical skills themselves as Nicole’s whole household contributed to caring for the puppies.

Nicole Goble, Serenity’s OG human mom, saying goodbye to the puppy.

A therapy dog

Serenity, my new doggie, is from Millie’s second litter. She and ten other puppies were born on May 13, 2023.

Nicole mated Millie with a black Cavapoo. King Charles Cavaliers are known for being loyal and sweet dogs. Nicole told me that the mix between the golden doodle and the King Charles accentuates the quality of loyalty from golden retrievers without the hyper puppy phase.

Nicole’s intention with Serenity and Milo (Ajana’s dog) and their littermates is that each of these puppies finds the specific home they are meant to be in: to bring peace and love and healing.

“I really view animals as supportive healing relief,” Nicole told me. “There’s science behind that. But on a somatic level, if you allow them to, they help you. Just by cuddling with them, they allow you to relax, lower your blood pressure, and your stress. When your stress levels are lower, your cortisol is lower, and your body is able to reset and heal.”

Serenity has already provided me with so much joy, unconditional love, cuddles, and laughter. And she’s only been with me for two days. I am so glad we found each other. And I feel like Nicole is a soul sister and will be a friend for life.

She still has a few puppies from this litter left. If you’d like more information or you’re interested in buying a therapy dog from Nicole, you can contact her via email. Her email is rnicolegoble [at] gmail [dot] com. You can also find her on Instagram, which is: at slatecanyon_puppies.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

Love,

Jennifer

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About the author:
Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D., is a new dog owner, an award-winning science journalist, and the author/editor/co-author/co-editor of eight books, including the #1 Amazon bestseller, The Vaccine-Friendly Plan, which she co-authored with the above-mentioned Dr. Paul Thomas. Support independent journalism by becoming a paid subscriber to Vibrant Life. Or buy her a cup of organic coffee green juice via Venmo at @Jennifer-Margulis-2.