helping HANDS
A Unique
Partnership
Retired nurse and pet therapy dog offer companionship to area patients BY: » Jennifer Mitchell
PHOTOS COURTESY OF : » Debbi Wilkes
C
ornelius resident Debbi Wilkes worked for years as a primary care and home healthcare nurse before retiring last year, but her passion for caregiving was something she was not ready to give up. Wilkes noticed a special disposition in her best friend’s dog named Maggie, and that is when their unique partnership began—providing pet therapy to severely ill patients in the Lake Norman area.
A sweet disposition Maggie and Debbi Wilkes completed training through Alliance of Therapy Dogs.
14 LimitlessMagOnline.com | July 2021
“Maggie had the perfect disposition to be a therapy dog. She was well behaved, very loving and knew some simple commands,” explains Wilkes. “After completing obedience training
