Dog dumped in parking lot working to become therapy dog in Winston-Salem

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — Abandoned in a church parking lot, a hound mix named Molly didn’t seem to have a promising future.

That’s until she caught the eye of a Forsyth County woman who saw something special in Molly. Charlene Wellborn knows the heartbreak of losing a beloved pet. And when she saw Molly’s blue eyes staring back at her, she knew she was pretty much everything they were looking for.

“Ellie was nine years old when we lost her to cancer in November. And she had been a therapy dog for eight years and she did over 400 visits,” Wellborn says. “I knew I wanted a dog to do visits with. And I just hoped and prayed that Molly would fit that bill.”

Not much is known about Molly’s past. She was abandoned by her owner in a church parking lot. She spent a month in foster care before being adopted by Wellborn. But Molly needed some help adjusting to life as a house pet. Through that very basic doggie training, Wellborn saw something special.

“She lays down and she’s calm. It’s like she knows she’s at work,” she says.

Molly showed the obedience it takes to become a therapy dog. And she’s well on her way to receiving her certification. She’s completed 10 visits at the SECU family house in Winston-Salem, a place that provides affordable lodging for people who have a loved one in the hospital.

“They look forward to seeing the dogs every week,” she says. “And so giving back to this, giving to people and sharing her with people and knowing her back story is just, it’s amazing.”

Molly’s a staple there, prohibiting her past from defining her future.

“From being dumped, someone didn’t want her, to a therapy dog,” Wellborn says. “Amazing.”

Molly is expected to receive her therapy license in about a month. She’s also a staple at Wake Forest University, often visiting medical school students there.

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