DPP has impacted countless lives over the years!
Here are some of their stories.
I work for Camp Wapiyapi -- a summer camp that serves individuals and families impacted by pediatric cancer. Denver Pet Partners has been volunteering with us for years and were finally able to return to in person again this year. Denver Pet Partners visiting is one of the best parts of the week. It's how we keep time up at camp (i.e. 2 more sleeps until dogs are here!). Every individual that volunteers with DPP is endlessly kind, accommodating, thoughtful, on and on. They always communicate wholly with us to be sure we are protecting our kids and to make sure we are serving the children in the best way possible. Not only are the dogs a dream to the adults and kids alike, the people who work with them are too. It is truly some of the best few hours at camp. For many, it's a relief from moments of anxiety; for others, it's a big moment of joy and connection. We couldn't be more grateful for what Denver Pet Partners does for our camp kids. The work they do and the love they put into this world can't be adequately put into words. They're an amazing organization.

My sister with stage 4 multiple Gliomas has been in and out of local hospitals due to the disease. She was unresponsive for two days until she met one of the Denver Pet Partners therapy dogs. Once the dog greeted her she became responsive!! NOTHING else had gotten through to her. After that she was awake and alert. I can’t express enough how incredible this was. We thought we would never see her alert again. Later, after a surgery she was not doing well once again. Denver Pet Partners again came to the rescue. She responded to the therapy dog where family and friends and nurses could not reach her. She was neutral towards digs before her illness but these amazing dogs got through to her so I can honestly say that you don’t have to be a dog lover to benefit from this program !! She would wait all day for the dog to come visit her. The sweet dogs and their wonderful handlers brought joy in the darkest of times and gave us all hope. I can’t express how much of a corner she turned each time she was hospitalized and got a therapy dog visit. When a person is struggling physically and cannot communicate the way they once did, these incredible dogs reach the patients and give unconditional love, acceptance, and hope. There really are no words to adequately express what we witnessed. I am not sure that my sister would have woken up without the dogs. I rest easier knowing when she is in the hospital that they are there. This program is so so so important and necessary for patients!!! Please keep this program going and from the bottom of my entire family’s hearts, THANK YOU !!!!

Denver Pet Partners brings dogs to the Columbine Library for our PAWS program, where children can read to dogs. Denver Pet Partners has been fabulous to work with. Children and their families absolutely love having the dogs at the library. The dogs and their caregivers are wonderful!

Denver Pet Partners provides Dog Reading Teams to Jefferson County Public Library as part of our Paws for Reading program. Kids love to come to the library to read to the dogs, and we have found that this is a wonderfully effective way for kids to gain confidence in their ability to read and it increases their desire to read.
Denver Pet Partners has been a wonderful partner in our reading program. As an organization they are very professional, organized, and collaborative. All of their dog/handler teams are great, having received training and certification. I greatly enjoy working with Denver Pet Partners and would recommend them to anyone interested in working with this organization in any capacity.

My best friend Hayden and I have been associated with Denver Pet Partners for almost ten years, and it's been a remarkably positive experience. Of course, the work is tremendously fulfilling, but what really makes DPP special is the commitment to providing consistent, high-quality training and assessment for therapy teams, as well as ensuring that client facilities provide safe and appropriate places for teams to do their work. DPP has also built a terrific community to meet and learn from other handlers, and provide interesting team meetings to build skills and learn about interesting topics in the field of animal therapy.

I’ve been a member of DPP going on 3 years and a registered therapy team with my dog, Riggs, for the past year. The group has provided training and support throughout my membership. They are a wonderfully professional, organized, and dedicated group of people.
It is an extremely rewarding experience every time I put the vest on my boy, and we go out to visit. The joy and happiness Riggs brings to the staff, visitors and patients every Friday at the hospital we visit is simply priceless. We received a great deal of training and preparation prior to being cleared for hospital visits. DPP takes pride in the training and support they provide to all their teams. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t have the greatest of appreciation for the work we do. Thank you DPP and here's to many more years together!

I've been involved with this wonderful organization since 2015 and now have both my rescued dogs registered as therapy animals. I also became a certified instructor for prospective handlers. I'm always impressed by how ethically & professionally DPP is run, all by dedicated volunteers who have a passion for human-animal interaction. The support they provide handler teams, both new and experienced, is impressive and consistent.

Denver Pet Partners has been a huge part of my life since 2013. I retired as a children’s elementary school librarian in 2011. Before I retired I read an article in, “The Scholastic News,” concerning the value in READ dogs. Children read aloud to dogs to gain fluency and confidence in their reading skills. The dogs listen without interruption, judgement, or ridicule; they listen with patience and love. Children relax and pet these companions as they read and the miracles happen! We have assisted children in public schools and the local library.
I have enjoyed having two registered therapy dogs with Denver Pet Partners. We have broadened our horizons by also assisting in elderly care centers, Alzheimer’s Centers, Hospitals, college students’ finals de-stress events, Stem School gathering offering our partners for emotional assistance, many presentations to demonstrate value of the human- animal bond to the public. The list continues to grow!
Denver Pet Partners is an exemplary organization to demonstrate a Great Nonprofit. From our Board Chair and Treasurer, the entire Board of Directors team, all of our trainers and evaluators, and every member donates their time, energy and gas to serve this organization. We know what a valuable service this is to our communities and have witnessed the difference we have made in our society.

Mortensen Elementary School in Jefferson County Public Schools is so fortunate to have a partnership with Denver Pet Partners. Over the years many of our students have participated in the program by having individual and partner sessions with the dogs and their owners. Typically the students are ones who may need a little extra support to grow and thrive in the educational setting. It is amazing to see the transformation within a child's self-confidence and their external behaviors after they develop a relationship with a furry friend. They always look forward to the dog's visit and talk about it with their teachers and their parents. By learning to care for an animal by brushing, reading to him/her, taking walks, etc. they acquire skills in self-regulation, prespective taking, empathy, and sense of purpose in our world. I can't thank Denver Pet Partners enough, and I look forward to many more years of working and learning together!

Since 2016, Denver Pet Partners has been helping students at Arapahoe Community College de-stress before taking their final exams. We love partnering with this organization because they are professional, responsive, and caring. The DPP handlers are so sweet answering the same questions over and over and interacting with the students, faculty, and staff. But it’s the dogs people come to see and nothing beats their wagging tails, calm demeanor, and unbridled joy. The students love giving belly rubs and we love seeing their smiles! This is an excellent program and by far the most popular event held in the ACC Library!

I am a retired Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist with Prescriptive Privileges, and I love research! The available fact-finding information on the human value of FUR is heartening. I am genuinely grateful for the Denver Pet Partners Organization which nurtures, promotes, and advances the ideology of the Human-Animal Bond.
My Irish Terrier dog Jack and I are a Registered Therapy Team with Denver Pet Partners. We have volunteered during peak travel times at the Denver International Airport; participated in group de-stressing at the Air Force Academy; made weekly visits for a year to Clinic and hospital patients and staff at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital; and currently make twice a week ReadTo Me visits to First Graders at Soaring Hawk Elementary, and a monthly visit at the Castle Pines Library for Bark For Books.
I have witnessed affecting responses from human beings, young and old, who interact with Jack The Dog. Just one exemplification involves Robert, a little First Grader who, at the beginning of the school year could not read two or three sentences to Jack. He visibly lacked confidence and any enjoyment with reading.
Along with expert guidance from Robert’s teacher, Jack spent extra time with Robert throughout the school year. In April Robert’s mother contacted his teacher to relate how Robert woke her on her Birthday with a special present. He was carrying a little book, climbed onto her bed and then proceeded to read to her. She was tearful, and she was grateful for her gift.
Let me add that each time Jack listens to a reader the child receives a cherished sticker, a Jack bookmark and a little treat to give to Jack.
The Denver Pet Partners’ staff provide a wealth of education, structure and support for their volunteer teams. The sincere regard shown for each human-animal relationship is profound. I am absolutely amazed at the relationship I have developed with Jack, owing uniquely to the expertise and enlightenment of DPP, and also enhancing our volunteering experiences.

At Castle Rock Adventist Hospital we have a wonderful pet therapy team - Angel Paws. What makes our program so strong is our partnership with Denver Pet Partners. We are confident that every dog team coming to our hospital is well prepared and trained to safely and joyfully interact with our patients, visitors, staff and volunteers. We are so grateful!

In 2014, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine teamed up with Denver Pet Partners to create a program of weekly visits of Denver Pet Partners' teams with RVUCOM medical students. Over the years, I've seen the overwhelming positive effect that this program has had on the well-being of medical students. Medical school is very stressful, and the DPP teams have had a calming effect on the medical students. I've received many emails over the years from current and former students attesting to the positive effects that the DPP teams had on them during their medical school career. DPP is a great organization!

Jeffcom 911 is a dispatch communications center serving as a vital link between emergency services and the community in Jefferson County. Jeffcom 911 works with local fire, police and emergency medical service providers to dispatch the appropriate emergency responders.
In an ultimately stressful work environment, Denver Pet Partners provides the calm in the storm. The teams visit on a regular basis to our center lifting sprits and making everyone smile. The handlers are extremely friendly, professional and are a pleasure to work with. All of the dogs that have visited are calm and seem to love what they do. Thank you for a wonderful partnership and for your support to the community and first responders.

Denver Pet Partners continues to be an amazing partner in serving our Bristol Hospice patients around the Denver metro area. Our DPP teams are highly qualified to serve our hospice patients with dignity and compassion. We are so grateful to offer pet therapy as part of our volunteer services and continue to refer all volunteers who are interested in providing care with their pet to go through Denver Pet Partners for registration. Thank you for your wonderful presence in our community and for training so many of our amazing pet therapy volunteers!

Denver Pet Partners has worked closely with Suncrest Colorado Hospice in bringing pet therapy, support, joy, and compassion to our hospice patients. They are truly professional in following protocols for both organizations. They are top rated in every aspect - training, workshops, communication, documentation, and evaluations. As the Suncrest Colorado volunteer coordinator, I have seen first hand the beautiful interactions Denver Pet Partners has with improving the quality of life for our hospice patients. I am so grateful for the 2 year partnership with Denver Pet Partners.

Denver Pet Partners has been providing therapy dog experiences to our medical students at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine since 2013. Volunteers from Denver Pet Partners bring their therapy dogs to the medical school twice/week to provide a needed relief to the stress of medical school for our students, faculty and staff. I have received multiple emails from students who have expressed how much the dogs meant to their well-being and success in coping with the rigors of medical school. Additionally, when one of the therapy animals dies, there is a heartfelt outpouring of sympathy and support from both current and former medical students. This makes me believe that the pet therapy program increases the empathy and human awareness that we strive to foster in our students. Denver Pet Partners is truly a great organization.

I volunteer through Denver Pet Partners at Julia Greeley Academy, doing Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) with the R.E.A.D. program (Reading Education Assistance Dogs). This is the second year we have been volunteering there. Julia Greeley is small private school in northeast Denver which serves inner city minority youth. The principal and the teachers select students who are significantly behind their peers in reading. Hathaway, our therapy dog, and I work with the same students each week, a half hour per student. They get the chance to practice reading in a safe, calm environment – to a really non-judgemental listener! I try to channel my comments through Hathaway, saying things like “Hathaway didn’t understand that word, let’s try to break it into parts so that she can understand it,” or “Hathaway is confused about this part of the story. Can you explain it to her?”
The program works best for students who need additional practice; students who have become anxious and uncomfortable reading aloud. Hathaway snuggles beside them as they read, and they pet her while they read to her. Of the students in the first year, one was two grades behind his peers when we started, and had caught up to them by the end of the year.
Part of the success of the Pet Partners program at Julia Greeley can be seen in program’s reception – the staff, parents and students all hope for additional teams, because they can see the difference the Pet Partners teams make in the lives of the students they work with.

Denver Pet Partners has been a huge supporter of the Paws to Read program at Bemis Public Library. "Paws" began at Bemis in April 2004 to partner reluctant readers with therapy pets in order to provide a non-critical and non-judgmental audience which allows children to overcome their fear of reading aloud. We are so grateful to the dedicated teams who volunteer their time and efforts month after month to instill confidence and foster a love of reading in the children of our community.
Val Fetters - Children's Division Supervisor

Denver pet partners provides the Golden Library with the most wonderful handlers and dogs for our PawsforReading program. We have always appreciated the importance of this program but Covid has made us brutally aware of the need for such an in person human/animal interaction.... it is almost just a bonus that our patrons also learn to read and ENJOY reading through this fulfilling program.

There is no organization we trust more than Denver Pet Partners to vet our dogs for our Therapy Dog Program. They are professional, encouraging and compassionate. A first-rate organization!

For the last nine years, the Englewood Public Library has facilitated Denver Pet Partner’s Paws to Read literacy program. When we were originally approached to host Paws, we would have never thought that it would still be going strong after all this time; and it’s only because of the dedication and pride that the volunteer teams take in the program and the support that DPP provides, that it is. We started off having pet teams only come once a month, but because of the program’s immediate popularity, we added another weekend. Now there are eight permanent volunteer teams that cover four weekends each month. Paws growth and success shows the program continues to be relevant and important to the community we serve. As a librarian, I work with volunteers from different groups and organizations on a daily basis, but I have not found a group that is so giving of their time and as committed to their work as DPP. I am grateful to have DPP part of the our team, and we are proud to be part of theirs.
