The Human-Canine Alliance (TH-CA)

Ripple Effects: How Human-Canine Partnerships Are Changing Lives Around the World

• Stacie J. King • Season 1 • Episode 4

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This episode explores the profound relationships formed between humans and canines, highlighting five organizations actively transforming lives one human-canine alliance at a time. Through their programs, they illustrate the ripple effects human-canine relationships do have, and can have, on communities all over the world. Stacie also discusses the many ways to support and get involved with these impactful organizations:

• K9s For Warriors (US)
• The Underdog Project (South Africa)
• HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response (US)
• Dogs for Good (UK)
• Warrior Canine Connection (US)

Resource(s) used in addition to the organizations' websites: 

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Stacie:

Hey everyone, it's Stacie with the Human Canine Alliance. After hitting the hard stats last week, I wanted to bring those numbers into the real world and illustrate how people and organizations are pairing humans and canines right now, proving infinite ripples around the world today. Last week, I told you about the Big Fix Uganda Project, which, since 2014, has been pairing Uganda survivors living with severe PTSD and in stigma and isolation with former street dogs who also have experienced a high level of trauma, teaching them, as pairs, to communicate with each other. If you'd like to hear that whole story, go back, listen to episode number three. It's an incredible example of humans and canines working together to comfort, heal and move forward, and this week I'm going to tell you five stories based on five different organizations making a difference through human-canine alliances all over the world today. Here we go.

Stacie:

Now let's meet Sergeant Jake Thompson, a combat veteran navigating life after multiple deployments. The battles he faced overseas left him invisible wounds, ptsd, anxiety, a sense of disconnection from the world around him. Daily life became a struggle, with simple tasks like going to the grocery store or attending family gatherings triggering overwhelming stress. Jake felt isolated, trapped by memories. He couldn't escape, but healing came from an unexpected source. A rescue dog named Max Max wasn't bred for service. In fact, he was once a stray overlooked in a crowded shelter with little chance of adoption. That changed when Canine for Warriors stepped in. Since 2011, they've rescued more than 2,000 dogs, giving them a second chance at life, while simultaneously providing veterans with critical support. Their mission is rooted in the belief that rescue dogs can rescue people, creating life-saving partnerships that transform both lives. Okay, so back to Max. Max underwent rigorous training, learning not to just follow commands but to become attuned with Jake's unique needs interrupting panic attacks, providing a sense of security in crowded spaces and offering unwavering companionship.

Stacie:

Canines for Warriors has a meticulous process. They begin by identifying rescue dogs from shelters, focusing on those with the right temperament and health to thrive as service animals. These dogs undergo comprehensive training, learning to align with veterans' needs due to PTSD. Service dogs are trained in specific skills, such as brace and stand, which are designed to interrupt flashbacks, wake veterans from nightmares and create physical space in crowded environments. Simultaneously, veterans like Jake participate in an intensive three-week residential program where they bond with their service dogs, receive training and build a foundation of trust and mutual support.

Stacie:

But the impact of these partnerships goes beyond individual veterans, canines for Warriors also trains dogs to go to work in various roles, including station dogs such as fire stations and police departments. These dogs are trained to recognize signs of trauma and anxiety, offering grounding techniques and a comforting presence during critical incidents. Their ability to create a calming environment has proven invaluable, especially for first responders, who often face intense traumatic situations. Remember, we learned in my last episode that first responders are one and a half more times likely than the average population to commit suicide because of the things that they see and the things that they go through. So this makes a lot of sense, right? Since its founding, canines for Warriors has placed over 800 rescue dogs with veterans and first responders with remarkable success.

Stacie:

Listen to this 92% reduction in medication use. You guys, that is 736 of the 800 rescue dogs and veterans paired together Amazing, significant drops in suicide rates and improved quality of life for both individuals and their families. It's such a domino effect. Oh, and also, let me just mention those 800 rescue dogs did not get euthanized. Those 800 rescue dogs are not taking up 800 cages in the rescue world. I mean, how many different dominoes have to fall before it's important enough to invest more time, money and energy into this industry? These aren't just statistics.

Stacie:

These are real life effects in our society, in our family members, in our friends today, friends today. So I also wanted to make sure I included a full picture of what it takes for Canines for Warriors to make these matches happen. So training each service dog comes with a significant investment. It costs approximately $75,000 to fully train a service dog. Fully train a service dog and Can9 for Warriors offers dog sponsorship packages at $30,000. These sponsorships play a crucial role in sustaining the program, ensuring more rescue dogs can be trained to support veterans and first responders in need.

Stacie:

In the heart of Cape Town, south Africa, a groundbreaking initiative is working to transform the lives of at-risk youth and shelter dogs alike. The Underdog Project offers an inspiring story of how human-canine partnerships can uplift entire communities. The underdog project is a nonprofit organization that brings together vulnerable youth and abandoned shelter dogs to create a mutually beneficial bond. In a society where domestic violence, gang-related crime and animal cruelty are prevalent, the underdog project is Helping break the cycle of violence by teaching positive, nonviolent communication. Through the act of training shelter dogs, the program offers at-risk young people a unique opportunity to work with untrained rescue dogs, and through these hands-on sessions the youth learns skills like empathy, trust, communication, teamwork, time management all essential life skills that will help them overcome the challenges they face and domino effect. The benefits don't stop there. The dogs receive vital mental and physical stimulation, improving their chances for adoption and, ultimately, a better life. This reciprocal healing process oh, I love that phrase, you guys reciprocal healing process shows how human canine partnerships can foster a peaceful society, reducing violence and promoting compassion through their work.

Stacie:

The Underdog Project aims to provide long-term solutions, not just short-term interventions, and by addressing both the mistreatment of animals and the need for positive human behavior change, the program stands as a model for how education and animal-assisted activities can lead to lasting transformation. The youth the experience extends beyond training. Upon graduation, they join the PASC grad program, which focuses on career guidance, goal setting and working with more challenging dogs. This phase allows them to become peer leaders, instilling a sense of purpose, responsibility as they mentor younger participants and help train even more dogs. These young leaders become ambassadors for animal kindness and, by extension, catalysts for societal change in their communities. The program is creating a ripple effect of compassion and passion and healing that extends far beyond the classroom and the shelter.

Stacie:

I have chills learning about these organizations because it's happening around the world and clearly it's just not happening enough. Imagine being in the midst of a tragedy, whether it's the aftermath of a natural disaster, a dramatic event or a personal loss, and unfortunately this probably hits a little too close to home for a lot of people these days. Hope Animal Assisted Crisis Response, or HOPE AACR, has been doing life-changing work by providing relief to individuals facing some of the most difficult moments they will ever face in their lives, and they do it at no charge. Ho Hope AACR has been on the front lines of crisis response, using the calming presence of trained canines to offer emotional comfort to people affected by disasters and trauma. From helping first responders decompress after a long shift to providing support to victims of school tragedies or families coping with the loss of a loved one, hope's teams are trained to bring comfort in ways that words alone simply cannot. These teams don't just show up, they are prepared. Each handler and dog undergoes rigorous training and certification process that includes training in crisis intervention, emotional first aid and even understanding canine stress management.

Stacie:

Hope AACR's work spans a wide range of situations, from comforting those affected by traumatic incidents such as deaths or accidents, to supporting people in disaster zones and emergency rooms. They also work with behavioral health professionals to ensure the emotional needs of those affected are met, using the calming nature of their dogs to ease anxiety and help people process their emotions. For the dogs involved, the work is equally life-changing. These canines are trained to handle the intense environments of crisis situations. They're desensitized to loud noises, chaotic scenes and unfamiliar environments. But beyond training, these dogs become a critical link in the healing process, offering unconditional support to those who need it most.

Stacie:

And you guys. This is really cool. The way that Hope builds their team of human and canine partnerships is they take people like you and me and our dogs, and they do have one requirement you and your dog have to have gone through at least one year of volunteering in animal assisted activities therapy with a formal animal assisted activity therapies organization. So that's the one requirement, but after that you can apply to the HOPE organization and, if you and your dog are selected, you go through this whole training and certification process and become one of those teams that respond during these crisis situations. I mean, how cool is that? I absolutely love how they involve the community and they're not just involving people, they're involving their dogs. Right, these are my people. Okay, on that note, we're going to go to break and we're going to listen to the Human Canine Alliance's first commercial. We'll see you after the break.

Sirenio:

Meet Toto, a true hurricane survivor with a heart big as his story. After Hurricane Helene, toto showed up looking for shelter and he never left. He's part lab, part pit bull. We think he's a mid-sized dog with yellow and white coloring. He loves car rides, short walks Perfect. He is smart and likes to be challenged. We play hide and seek with treats in the house and he will sit, stay and wait until all the treats are hidden. He's independent enough to chill solo, but will try to demand your attention when he's in the mood for snuggles. It's hard to refuse, honestly. Why am I telling you this? Because Toto needs a home. His picture is on the Human Canine Alliance and Burke County Animal Service Facebook pages, but you can also reach out to Stacy by sending a direct message through whatever podcast app you're using right now or at Stacie. That's S-T-A-C-I-E at thehumancaninealliancecom.

Stacie:

Welcome back to the Human-Cay-Not Alliance. This is Stacie. The first three stories that I shared. All were associated with rescue dogs, or simply pets, right, that were being used to pair with humans and have the domino effects in our society that we talked about. So these next two stories I really couldn't ignore, because these organizations are doing amazing things in their own societies and their own communities and the only difference is that they're especially breeding their dogs. Those dogs are coming into these relationships and these trainings as puppies and then they're also being bred accordingly, right. So that's just a distinction I wanted to make between the two. Because the Human Canine Alliance obviously our goal is to target those rescue dogs and get those rescue dogs off of the streets, out of cages and into forever homes. So I just wanted to make that distinction here, because these organizations all have the same goals but they're doing it in slightly different ways. I'm going to open this story with a bright, orange, bold quote on the website of this England and Wales organization called Dogs for Good, and the quote is we bring people and dogs together to help make everyday life possible in so many extraordinary ways, and I just love that. I love that quote, I love how much it resonates with the human canine alliance and how much it resonates with the passion I have behind this organization and why I'm doing all of this in the first place. Dogs for good tailors its support to unique needs and goals of each person or group, whether it's an adult with a physical disability regaining autonomy through the partnership with an assistance dog, or an elderly individual with dementia reconnecting with cherished memories through gentle canine companionship. The goal is always the same to help people thrive through the profound bond with the dog.

Stacie:

And our last story starts in a quiet training facility where a young golden retriever named Bailey watches his trainer intently, tail wagging with anticipation. Their journey together is just beginning, but the effects of this connection will ripple far beyond the two of them. Bailey is not just any dog. He has been raised and trained with the purpose to heal, support and to empower. Through a carefully designed program, dogs like Bailey are matched with veterans like James, creating a bond that fosters growth on both sides. Veterans like James creating a bond that fosters growth on both sides. As James works with Bailey, teaching commands and practicing routines, something remarkable happens the focus required to train Bailey begins to quiet the noise in James' mind, giving him a sense of purpose and stability. With each sit, stay and heal, james regains confidence, his world expanding beyond the limitations of his past traumas. But the transformation does not stop there. James's progress brings hope to his family, who has long yearned to see him reclaim his life. His renewed confidence allows him to reconnect with his wife, to laugh with his children, to step into the world again with something he thought he had lost trust. Meanwhile, bailey's journey continues to inspire the other veterans in the program. Watch as James thrives and they too find encouragement to engage, to believe in the process and to push forward. Some will eventually train their own dogs, passing down the lessons of patience, discipline and unconditional love. Others will advocate for the program, expanding its reach and ensuring that more veterans can experience the same transformation.

Stacie:

Think about it this way One match, one dog and one warrior sets off a cascade of healing that touches lives in ways that no one could have predicted. This is the power of the warrior canine connection. It is not just about a match. It is about a movement, a growing force of hope and resilience, proving that when we lift each other up, human and canine alike, the impact reaches far beyond what we can see, I don't know if you hear the common thread between all of these stories, but the common thread is the positive domino effects these human and canine alliances undeniably have, not only on the human and the canine in the relationship. That's a given, you would think right but the ripple effects it has on the people around that human and canine alliance, that bond, is also undeniable when you hear these stories and when you see what these organizations are doing. And it's around the world, right.

Stacie:

This isn't privy to one breed. This isn't privy to one community. This isn't privy to one training program. This isn't privy to one type of need. This isn't privy to one race or anything. It's not privy. This is universal, is universal and we should be embracing human canine alliances and optimizing the benefits of human canine alliances in 2025. We should be maximizing these relationships.

Stacie:

Many of these programs are completely maxed out in terms of their applications. When you go to their websites, they say we would love to take your application, but we have so many, we need to make the matches happen. They have so many people who want a trained dog because they see the benefits of what it can do for their lives. I'm not saying it's an only solution, but it should really be higher up in terms of being considered a solution versus. Many people would automatically say I couldn't afford a service dog and so they certainly wouldn't look into it because they wouldn't think they could afford one, and they'd probably be right. Right, I'm just saying listening to these stories, it just gives me chills. The benefits that are so obvious, that are so clear as direct results from these relationships, and how has that not become more of an option?

Stacie:

I also wanted to take a moment and give a shout out to all of the ways that you can support these organizations, if you're interested in doing so. So, first of all, I have put all of their websites in my show notes as resources that I use to pull the information for the show. All of them accept donations. Several of them actually accept donations on behalf of your late pet. You can volunteer as an individual, as a group or even as a business. In some of the cases not all of the cases you can purchase gear from their online stores. You can become a temporary dog and training parent. You could hold a community event and they would help you do that, and I thought this one was really cool. This was unique to Dogs for Good. They have the option to give a gift of celebration, and that means it's like in lieu of a wedding or a birthday gift, you would ask people to give donations to Dogs for Good. In some cases, a way to support the organization is to actually leave a gift in your will. You can also do payroll giving so you can actually have money taken out of your paycheck and have it just automatically go to that donation, so it's like an automatic donation on a regular basis, and then you can also do contributions from your charitable trust or foundation.

Stacie:

Thank you so much for listening to the Human Canine Alliance. I am Stacie and these stories were so much fun to research, uncover and share with you today. I honestly had no idea how many organizations around the world were actively pairing humans and canines together for so many different reasons, but also all for the same reasons. Amazing, also, all for the same reasons. Amazing. The proof is truly already living in our societies today, whether we choose to see it or not. Where I see the human canine alliance becoming an asset to this force that is already happening around the world is our matchmaking app. I feel like we've got something here, guys, which, speaking of stay tuned for our second real-life business episode, where I provide business updates on the Human Canine Alliance, and I've been making progress on the app. So, anyways, I'll see you next week. I hope you continue to listen you.