Healing Hounds Inc

Healing Hounds partners with first responder agencies and counseling services to help reduce stress, anxiety, fatigue, and emotional unrest first responders experience as part of their job. Our specially trained/certified dogs are loving and affectionate, offering first responders opportunity to connect in a healthy and safe way.

The organization is completely run by volunteers and has no paid staff. Healing Hounds incorporated in March of 2017 and received IRS non-profit status in October of 2017. We currently have 18 Teams! Check out our Dogs on the "Our Team Dogs" tab above. 

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), it is estimated that 30 percent of first responders will develop behavioral health conditions including, but not limited to, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as compared with 20 percent in the general population.

Healing Hounds schedules our teams to come to an agency’s headquarters, districts or substations, or community meetings and events the organization hosts or co-sponsors. Visits can be once a week, monthly or whatever works best for the agency. We also do visits at odd hours such as dispatch shift change to allow more people to interact with the dogs. Healing Hounds is flexible and during Dispatch Appreciation week last year teams participated in multiple visits in addition to those that were part of the “normal” schedule.

Healing Hounds services are provided at NO COST for First Responder agencies. The need for additional teams is critical, request for visits continues to grow in Colorado.