Sunnyvale dental practice boasts furry, calming presence
Dentistry is a family affair for Dr. Sarah Murray, who runs Murray and Murray Family Dentistry in Sunnyvale with her dad, Dr. Randy Murray, and also works parttime with her husband at a dentist’s office in Mountain View. Sarah’s dog, Chloe, even has a parttime job at the Sunnyvale office.
Chloe started her life on the streets of Puerto Rico. At 6 months old, she was living behind a food truck. Murray said Chloe was covered in fleas and unvaccinated when she was rescued by a worker from Copper’s Dream Animal Rescue in Sunnyvale, who was visiting family in the area. The rescue worker brought Chloe back to the South Bay, where Murray met her and took her home.
Murray had been looking for a dog she could bring to the office to help calm anxious patients. She wanted a dog with a mellow, submissive demeanor who could provide emotional support to people during their visits. Chloe is a medium-size dog, with light brown fur on her back and tail and white fur on her face and chest. She looks a bit like a doodle mix, but Murray says she’s actually a quarter Doberman pinscher and a quarter Yorkshire terrier.
“And she was the perfect fit,” adds the Saratoga High School graduate.
Murray began bringing Chloe into the office in 2017, and Chloe took to the job easily.
When Chloe started making her Friday visits to the Sunnyvale practice, Murray kept her in a kennel in the front of the office so that the dog could get acclimated. At one point, Chloe snuck back into the patient area, where, Murray says, patients were happy to have her hang out while they were being worked on.
“If there are any patients that are anxious, or especially like older patients, she can really sense if someone needs comforting,” Murray says. “And so, when someone is sitting in the waiting room, she’ll lay on their feet a lot of the time while they’re waiting for their appointment. And it really helps calm them.”
Chloe also follows patients into the operating room if they are getting a procedure done. And while loud noises tend to bother Chloe at home, she doesn’t seem to mind the whirring and buzzing of the dental practice.
Chloe isn’t a service dog, so she’s not there to perform tasks or assist in therapies. She’s an emotional support animal, which in medical settings can be a helpful alternative to medications, Murray says.
“I thought it would be great for kids, because it’s a good distraction,” Murray says. “Kids come in, and if they’re really anxious…they can play with Chloe and sit with her and pet her. And then they are just a lot better.”
When younger patients are having a particularly difficult time at their appointment, they’ll often reschedule for a day when Chloe’s there.
“Certain patients make sure that they’re there on Chloe’s day,” Murray says. “They request her a lot more than (they do) me.
“If someone has a bad dental experience when they’re young, they’re going to have that anxiety follow them as they get older. So, if you make it a really fun and calming experience in the beginning, then they’ll be great patients long term,” she adds.
It’s not just young patients who benefit from Chloe’s presence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Murray received a call from a patient—a man in his 70s—after his appointment. He said he’s always lived alone, and the isolation of the pandemic had been really hard on him. He said seeing Chloe and having her there for his appointment meant a lot to him, and that he hadn’t petted a dog in years.
While she’s received notoriety among Murray’s patients, Chloe has also had a brush with fame. She was featured on “A Dog’s Life” on Disney+, honored as a “hometown hero” for her work with anxious dental patients.