Dog Names that Start with Mar

Animal assisted therapy is a wonderful avenue of help available to many people in need. People in schools, nursing homes and hospitals may be suffering from issues arising from serious illness, dementia, autism, chronic pain and more. Dogs are highly valued in this field because so many people can relate to the canine. People do not find assisted therapy dogs threatening and in fact, often open up with affection when at other times they may not be able to or want to display it.

Animal assisted therapy has helped children and adults with regaining focus and dealing with anxiety,  feelings of isolation, and grief. Building social skills and enhancing self-esteem are among a plethora of other areas in which dogs can help humans. Helping a person express themselves in an honest and natural way is one of the best benefits of animal assisted therapy.

One of the heroes in this field is Marco, a Portuguese Water Dog who lives in Illinois and makes regular visits to the Advocate Children’s Hospital as an assisted therapy dog. He is three years old and is trained to help children with physical and emotional needs sustained after trauma and illness, as well as those with special needs. Marco works in a goal oriented way and his presence is geared towards helping children with physical skills like grasping objects and he also serves to provide emotional respite from what is presently going on in their lives. Marco is very talented at trick performing and getting the kids to help, subtly enabling them to move forward in their recovery or leading them toward emotional advancement.

Another dog with a name that starts with “Mar” is Marley from Marley and Me. Based on a memoir written by Josh Grogan, the film Marley and Me was released for viewing on Christmas Day, 2008. The movie was a smash hit at the box office and stars Owen Wilson as writer, Josh while Jennifer Aniston plays his wife Jenny. The two are contemplating parenthood, so decide to adopt a puppy for practice and soon find out that their new addition is basically untrainable! The movie tells us of the antics of this lovable yellow Labrador Retriever during his lifetime with Josh and Jen as the family grows and children come into the household. Twenty two different yellow Labrador Retrievers play the part of Marley throughout the filming.