{"id":655255,"date":"2025-09-16T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=655255"},"modified":"2025-09-16T15:16:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:16:44","slug":"therapy-dog-and-owner-provide-healing-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=655255","title":{"rendered":"Therapy dog and owner provide healing power"},"content":{"rendered":"

National Dog Day is a celebration of all dogs, and Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks <\/a>(VHSO) would like to honor the power of one dog, Willie Nelson, and the profound impact he and his owner, Ann Harris, have on Veterans and their families.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>
Veteran Lawrence Lankford pets therapy dog Willie Nelson. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

When Harris\u2019 husband, Leslie, an Army Vietnam Veteran, was nearing the end of his life, he gifted her Willie so she wouldn\u2019t be lonely after he passed. Deeply touched by the exceptional care she and her husband received at VHSO, Harris felt a strong desire to give back to VHSO and Veterans who had supported them in their time of need. This sense of gratitude inspired her to contribute in ways she hoped would touch the lives of others, just as the hospital staff and Veterans had touched their lives.<\/p>\n

A gift of love and legacy<\/h2>\n
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\"A<\/a>
A man in a cowboy hat affectionately pets therapy dog golden retriever, while a woman in a patterned dress smiles warmly. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI wanted to find a way to express my gratitude for the compassionate care my husband and I have received at VHSO,\u201d Harris shared. \u201cI wanted to do something meaningful that could help other Veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris, who also receives care at VHSO under\u00a0CHAMPVA<\/a>, found solace and purpose while grieving by working with a Whole Health coach. Together, Harris and Willie embarked on a transformative yearlong journey to become a therapy dog <\/a>team. Once they graduated, they signed up to be volunteers at the medical center.<\/p>\n

\u201cWillie and I have been volunteering at VHSO for the past two years. Every time we meet new people, we see their faces light up. We\u2019ve helped Veterans through chemotherapy, visited patients whose families couldn\u2019t be there, and tried to bring joy and appreciation everywhere we go,\u201d Harris explained. \u201cI know Leslie would be proud of Willie and I.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a>
Therapy dog Willie Nelson gives Veteran Jacob Graves a sniff while owner Ann Harris and a VA staff member look on. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Here\u2019s to Willie Nelson and Ann Harris for their heartfelt service! VHSO proudly celebrates your unwavering dedication and joy you bring to Veterans. Your contributions have made a world of difference, and your compassion continues to inspire us all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Dog Day is a celebration of all dogs, and Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO) would like to honor the power of one dog, Willie Nelson, and the profound impact he and his owner, Ann Harris, have on Veterans and their families. Veteran Lawrence Lankford pets therapy dog Willie Nelson. When Harris\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":655257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1268],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-655255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-visn-17"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=655255"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":655276,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655255\/revisions\/655276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/655257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=655255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=655255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=655255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}