Traveling more than 10,000 miles annually, Divine Canines volunteers combine a love for community service and their pups by providing free therapy dog services to hospitals, schools, seniors living facilities, and more across Central Texas.

Divine Canines’ roots sprouted 22 years ago from a group of dog owners wanting to share their adoration of dogs with people in special needs facilities. What started with just one trainer and five dog/handler duos visiting the Austin State Hospital has grown into 185 pairs spanning across more than 120 facilities— some of which include the VA clinic, school districts, nursing homes throughout Austin, ChrysalisQ, and public libraries! They believe that every dog can be a source of healing and motivation with a philosophy model based on two principles: 1. there exists a powerful bond between humans and their dogs, and 2. dog enthusiasts are ideal volunteers — passionate, empathetic, responsible, and highly driven.

Visiting thousands of children, adults, and elderly people on a regular basis, Divine Canine volunteers truly are something special. Their clients face various challenges, and through the therapeutic interactions the specially trained dogs give, they bring joy into their lives. These incredible human/dog duos show up week after week to varying locations simply because the owners believe in the power their dog has to make someone’s day a little brighter. The relationships the teams build with the people they visit are genuine and long-lasting. From helping with high stress situations like finals week at universities, watching a child read aloud to a dog without fear of judgment, seeing a patient light up during a hospital visit, or witnessing a dog’s visit to a nursing home bring back cherished memories of a beloved pet —sparking joy and connection that sometimes staff members and family struggle to reach— those are the moments that drive everything they do.

Before the cuddly companions can begin their services, Divine Canines has a well-crafted training program that all dogs must complete. Their trainings provide opportunities for duos to join the team that may be misjudged upon first glance — all are welcome. With their guiding factor being doing no harm, Divine Canines builds a relationship of cooperative communication between handlers and their pups. Volunteers also train in complex work environments that mimic scenarios the dogs could be in depending on where they’re at. They get exposed to sights, smells, and sounds of potential work locations, and behavior is tested. If a dog will be volunteering at a hospital, the organization will expose them to various medical equipment like wheelchairs, crutches, canes, walkers, etc. so that the dog-handler pair can develop responsiveness. Their ultimate goal is to have canines that will stay in work mode no matter what distractions there may be, spreading the power dogs have to brighten people’s days to as many individuals as possible.