My name is Sandy Clark. I am a daughter, sister, friend, step-mom, wife, counselor, writer, amateur photographer and animal lover. My journey with my Sober Dog books started in 2003 with my first Border Collie, Maggie. I had surgery, and Maggie didn't leave my side. Maggie's mother was a Therapy Dog, and I thought it would be good to have Maggie come to work with me to see if she showed the same kind of love and support to my clients that she had given to me. She was a pro! I started researching Therapy Dogs in Addiction Treatment, and didn't find very much. I did find one woman, Tanya Welsch-Bailey, LICSW, who became my mentor in doing Animal-Assisted Interventions in Addiction Treatment. Maggie & I volunteered in the community and she also came to work with me on what I termed, "Therapy Dog Thursdays". I even went to grad school and did research on The Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Co-Occurring Disorders. When Maggie was 8 years old we got her a puppy (Charlie) as a gift. Maggie showed Charlie how to be a Therapy Dog, and continues to do the same work with me. In 2014, when Maggie passed away, we welcomed Gus into our home as a gift for Charlie. In 2011, a colleague, Jennifer Thielges, told me I needed to share my story about the work I do with my Therapy Dogs in Addiction Treatment. So, I spoke at a conference with Tanya to a bunch of counseling professionals. However, I've been told by many friends, family & colleagues (Peter Vadnais, Roxanne Humenik) that these stories need to be shared so others can know about them. I have many other books I am working on, including a creative non-fiction, a meditation book/journal, and others. I hope you like Charlie the Therapy Dog, and the other Sober Dog books when they come out!