Paws, Purpose, and Possibilities: How Therapy Dogs and Faith Healed My Heart

2022 1st Place – The Christian Author Awards
2023 International Book Award Winner – Honorable Mention
2022 Readers Choice Awards Finalist
2022 Amazon #1 Best Seller in Dog Care and Health, Christian Death and Grief

Life’s journey can be unpredictable. We’re often faced with situations beyond what we think we can cope with. We may find ourselves in places and living a life we think we’ve shaped, only to find as we look back, that God often has opened doors and planted us in places we could never have imagined on our own.

Paws, Purpose, and Possibilities is the story of a woman who tried to find meaning in her grief over the overwhelming loss of her beloved sister, Karen. Karen lost her battle with colon cancer at the age of forty-one. This is a journey with therapy dogs in memory of Karen and her love for dogs.

Read about the how-to’s and why’s of therapy dogs and the wonderful people who do this work. Along the way, read how faith and an acknowledgment of God’s goodness and God’s grace were ever-present.

A portion of all book royalties is donated monthly to charity. For a list of the charities, please see my website: https://pawspurpose.net/.

From Readers’ Favorite 5-star rating
Paws, Purpose and Possibilities: How Therapy Dogs and Faith Healed My Heart by Gail H. Scoates is an inspiring work that offers impactful lessons about faith and healing from therapy dog work. After losing her sister Karen, Scoates was determined to see something good emerge from her heart-breaking loss. In 1998 when therapy dog work was still new, she was invited to join her church’s faith-based therapy dog program. She knew what therapy dog work could do after seeing how dogs had helped Karen during the latter part of her life. Scoates decided to join, a decision that took her on a wonderful journey as she helped uplift the lives of others through therapy dog work. She shares this amazing story and the lessons she learned along the way in her heartwarming book.

With profound lessons related to faith, Paws, Purpose and Possibilities is a powerful depiction of how great things can come from pain and grief. I enjoyed learning about each therapy dog. All of them were special and their interactions with children and adults were moving. It was also lovely to read about how Scoates’s work grew, including the wonderful moments she experienced and the people she encountered. The faith lessons shared are practical and can be applied in daily life. There are many happy and funny moments included which I enjoyed. Gail H. Scoates has provided a wonderful work that readers will love. It is unforgettable, with important lessons and useful information for anyone who wants to get involved with therapy dog work. (Reviewed by Edith Wairimu for Readers’ Favorite December 15, 2022)