It has been said time and again that pets are man’s best friend but they can be doctors too. It has often come to notice that people suffering from certain disabilities can be helped magically just by keeping a certain pet, be it a dog, a cat or any animal that the person may feel comfortable with. A recent story from Ireland proves how pets can change a person’s life and how they can help medically to a person with disability.
The story goes this way that there was a teenager named Murray Whooley who was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and had problems communicating and interacting with others. The outside world was a frightening place for him and even a simple errand to the supermarket would result in screaming, tantrums and vomiting.
One day his mother Fiona came to know about a program about trained dogs being used to treat autism. She had heard about it and so decided to give it a try. She took Murray to the training center where they were shown a specially trained dog named Clive.
Clive was a big dog while Murray seemed very small for him, however he instantly came to like the dog and after a few sessions with Murray and his family, Clive was inducted into the family.
In the next few days what happened was nothing short of magic because Murray started to get calmer and communicate with family members and even started to remain composed during errands to the market. His confidence level started to increase and the family started to go for holidays and enjoyments without the fear of Murray getting out of hand.
Now 14, Murray is able to handle large crowded places like Corke Park, an 82000 capacity football stadium to watch his favorite team play. The family has been able to take holidays to various places like America and many European countries.
Clive has become not only a part of their photographs but an important member of the family. He sleeps outside Murray’s room and they both spend much of their time together.
Clive understands human emotions because once Murray’s sister Sorcha was playing football and she scored a goal. Everyone jumped to celebrate and so did Clive. He has become such a part of the family that he not only takes care of Murray but protects the entire family from outsiders. The story thus once again proves that pets are man’s best friend.
