Few people understand and embrace the healing power of a dog more than Cheryl White, who’s been faithfully volunteering with The Dog Alliance in Cedar Park for over 13 years.

Cheryl White first began volunteering with The Dog Alliance in 2011 when she joined the Bow Wow Therapy Dogs program. The program brings therapy dogs to visit hospitals and public libraries to help anyone going through a health challenge, bring relief to healthcare workers, or working with children experiencing reading challenges. Cheryl signed up to be one of the volunteers in charge of bringing therapy dogs to these places, but she didn’t stop there.

In 2014, the Dog Alliance started the Hounds for Heroes initiative, an accredited service dog program for military veterans and first responders. Cheryl was among the first to volunteer. She completed her training in 2019 to become a service dog puppy raiser. Each dog assigned represents a 24/7 commitment spanning from an 8-week-old puppy to an 18-24-month-old dog completing strenuous training. Cheryl has been responsible for three dogs that have been paired with military veterans. Cheryl embodies the concept of “volunteer commitment” accepting full responsibility for an outcome with far-reaching, positive benefits. 

To read more about Cheryl’s story, check out her Legend Page.