The Human-Canine Alliance (TH-CA)
Loneliness is a health risk. Connection is care. Dogs are part of the solution.
Loneliness is now considered a greater public health risk than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. — U.S. Surgeon General
At the same time, approximately 390,000 healthy dogs are euthanized in U.S. shelters every year. — National shelter outcome estimates
These are not unrelated problems.
The Human-Canine Alliance (TH-CA) Podcast explores the growing crisis of human loneliness and disconnection—and the overlooked role trained, intentionally matched rescue dogs could play in addressing it.
This podcast is about people who feel isolated, disconnected, or unsupported in modern life. It’s about the quiet absence of companionship, routine, and purpose that impacts mental, emotional, and physical health. And it’s about the parallel reality in shelters, where capable dogs lose their lives—not because they lack value, but because systems are overwhelmed.
TH-CA examines a different approach: positioning dogs not simply as pets, but as purposeful partners—matched, trained, and supported in ways that create meaningful outcomes for both humans and dogs. This work aligns with the growing global movement of social prescribing, where connection, routine, and non-medical interventions are recognized as essential to well-being.
Through expert conversations, research-informed insights, and real-world examples, the podcast explores how intentional human–canine connection can support emotional regulation, social connection, confidence, and daily structure—especially for people navigating loneliness.
You’ll also hear updates and reflections on the development of TH-CA’s patent-pending, AI-powered human–canine matchmaking platform, designed to move beyond chance-based adoption toward compatibility, preparedness, and long-term success.
This podcast lives at the intersection of:
- Loneliness and human connection
- Mental-health prevention
- Rescue reform
- Social prescribing
- Ethical, purpose-driven innovation
If you’ve ever felt lonely, questioned why modern systems leave so many people disconnected, or wondered whether dogs could play a larger role in human well-being—this podcast is for you.
This is where the rabbit hole begins.
Welcome to The Human-Canine Alliance Podcast.
The Human-Canine Alliance (TH-CA)
Rethinking Mental Health with Social Prescribing & Rescue Dogs — Year One Findings
One year ago, The Human-Canine Alliance launched with a simple but disruptive idea: what if dogs were treated not just as companions — but as an integral part of how we support human wellness?
In this Season 2 premiere, founder Stacie reflects on TH-CA’s first year: what was learned, what was built, and why the mission couldn’t stop at awareness.
You’ll hear:
- How TH-CA went from idea to a patent-pending, visual app demo
- Why social prescribing is reshaping health systems around the world
- What the “rescue rabbit hole” reveals about the limits of our current systems
- And how humans in need and dogs in need can be intentionally matched for better lives
Season 2 marks a shift from exploration to execution — and invites listeners to be part of what comes next.
The Human–Canine Alliance is a patent-pending platform that matches people in need with rescue dogs in need using AI-powered compatibility matching and personalized training prescriptions to improve mental health and reduce dog euthanasia.
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[00:00:00] A lot of people see the problem.
A lot of people feel the problem.
We don't have solutions in place that are reducing the problems at scale.
Hi everyone. Welcome back to The Human-Canine Alliance podcast.
I'm Stacie, your host.
This episode is different, but in the best way. Because today marks one full year since this entire idea, and this podcast went live.
With nothing but a question, a microphone and a belief that dogs were being wildly underutilized.
What you're listening to now is Season 2, Episode 1, and that's not just a label.
It reflects something real.
We've crossed a line. We've gone from an idea to a mission with multiple meanings.
To a patent pending, visual, tangible platform that you can watch and share with the world.
And that's why this new season exists. That's why we are starting our second year. We are not just exploring what could be possible anymore.
We're building what comes next.
2025 was our infancy year, our baseline building year.
It was a year of really recognizing problems and patterns that happen across mental health and rescue especially around mismatches, lack of support, [00:02:00] and unrealistic expectations.
And then framework building, we are really turning these ideas into structure with language, positioning, and real concepts that people can see and evaluate, not just imagine.
It was also the year of living in what Kassidy called the Rescue Rabbit Hole.
Which Kassidy King used that phrase in a recent episode, and I can't unhear it, because once you start looking at the data, the intake numbers, the euthanasia trends, the barriers to care.
So TH-CA, The Human-Canine Alliance is not just a nice idea.
It's actually pretty needed.
It is in fact a multi-market level solution that is designed to connect the dots that have been separated for too long, for far too long.
And now we are not just asking what if, we're showing and telling, and we're saying here's how.
Okay, so these are numbers that have been around for quite some time, right? These are not new numbers.
As I just mentioned. Kassidy said, it's the rescue rabbit hole. Everybody seems to know about it. This is not new information.
So why didn't we just stop? Why didn't we just say, okay, well everybody already is aware of the problem and there doesn't seem to be a solution out there.
Really what it did for me was learning that all these numbers were not only real and legit, and that people knew about them.
It validated the fear that was building up inside of me that we're not doing enough as a society, that we're not doing enough as humans, as people to help each other, to help our communities, and to help every living being within our communities and within our societies.
And if we're not [00:04:00] really putting forth our best effort, we're not getting the best out of our communities, out of what we can get out of life.
And that just strikes such a chord with me because what else are we trying to do here in life if we're not trying to get the best out of it that we possibly can get out of it?
This is kind of a weird analogy, but I know a lot of people listen to true crime. Okay? So hang with me here for a second.
It's like when DNA wasn't trackable. And then all of a sudden in the eighties, cops start uncovering the identity of criminals because that information was there all along, but they didn't have the ability to uncover it.
Where I'm going with this is technology. AI is something that we have not had our hands on in this way before.
And so what I'm saying, look at all these real problems in our society. There's a new tool.
And we're gonna apply AI to the rescue industry, to wellness, not just mental health, but to wellness overall.
And that is why I'm so fired up!
So. Year one, validated me, validated us, validated The Human-Canine Alliance.
And not in a good way. I wish it hadn't. I wish these numbers weren't real.
I wish Kassidy, and Barb De Groodt, and Dr. Zarr, I wish all of them could have come on my podcast and proved me wrong.
But instead, they just supported more and more of my cause, of The Human-Canine Alliance, of what we're trying to do here. And therefore, we're here for another year. We're here for another season.
And I hope you stick with us and I hope you grow with us because I think your mindset might be expanded a little bit. You might learn a little bit more here.
I've learned a lot in the last year. The term social prescriptions. Never heard of it a year ago today. I learned that in the last [00:06:00] year on my podcast.
Okay, so come learn with me. We're not just learning anymore, we're building in this second year. . So if you're a learner and a builder, you're gonna be interested.
Alright, I'm gonna move on.
Year one, season one, it showed us these problems are not isolated, they're connected.
And as a society we need to connect those dots and understand that we have better solutions.
And listen, the systems that we rely on currently for both humans, and for dogs, they're doing heroic work. They're doing as much work as they possibly can do within the infrastructure that we have provided them as a society.
What I'm trying to say is we can offer new tools, better tools, to create a better infrastructure, to create a better platform for these same practitioners, for these same trainers.
To provide better solutions for you, the consumer, you, the human, you the dog owner.
If it's not you directly, it's somebody you know.
maybe you get to see them have a better life versus unfortunately watching them have a not so great life.
And you don't really know what to do about it.
Instead you get to actually see them flourish because your community offers that.
So what I'm trying to say here is the need is real. The data proves it, and our solutions are also real.
Okay, so what is season two? What are we gonna be doing? I said we're gonna be building.
We are starting out the year with a patent pending app concept.
We also have a visual app demo that you and anyone else can share, and evaluate, and provide feedback. Let me know if you think I'm missing something.
We're also starting the year with clear positioning for entering the [00:08:00] social prescribing and social care conversation.
And early traction, because remember, there is a number of you out there who thank you, thank you, thank you. I named every single one of you in one of my most recent episodes who donated and made the app demo and the patent pending concept a reality.
And so we get to enter 2026 with early traction.
We've crossed that line from concept to tangible. We've gone to something that's in my head to something you can see, and that's a big jump. That takes a lot of work.
Okay, so quick reality check. The world didn't stop while The Human-Canine Alliance was trying to figure out what the heck it was.
Loneliness, social isolation while they were declared public health crises in 2023, we're entering 2026 and not much has changed since then. We haven't really seen a whole lot of improvement in that field.
Millions of people are still struggling with anxiety, trauma, depression, burnout. Hundreds of thousands of dogs are still cycling throughout the shelters being euthanized every year.
And at the same time, more than 30 countries are using social prescribing as a form of healthcare. They're actually prescribing things like art, and dance, community programs.
And that gap, that gap between what we are doing in the US and what other countries are doing, which means there's more solutions available to us, is where The Human-Canine Alliance exists. That's why we exist. That's why we're here.
We want to be a force in bridging that [00:10:00] gap and not only a force, but a solution in closing that gap.
[00:12:00] [00:14:00] [00:16:00] Now, let me tell you what we actually built in year one.
It was infrastructure.
It was uncovering the market needs.
And then it was also proof of voice.
So here's some numbers. What happened in our first year of The Human-Canine Alliance?
We published 21 episodes and gained listeners in 30 countries and 230 cities.
We registered the organization as a non-profit in California. And this year, we're gonna be also registering it as an LLC. So it's gonna be a for-profit and a non-profit. It's gonna be hybrid, as I've mentioned in the past.
And just noting that we are not actually a 5 0 1 C3. We are just a registered nonprofit in the state of California. We're not federally registered yet.
We have built a digital ecosystem through our website, our social media, the podcast, the blog, the YouTube videos.
We really have a lot of content for you to dig through and to understand, you know, a lot of the data that I'm talking about and help you understand where we're coming from and where we're trying to go.
We also established and submitted a patent pending concept for a non-clinical human canine prescription model.
And we also published our app demo, which really tells the story of rows and toto and how they get matched. And then they have a specialized training regimen [00:18:00] that they're able to follow. And they have this care pathway that helps them work together to end up both having a better life because they found each other and they found the right type of training.
We also evolved some of our thought process in terms of how the training was gonna fit into the ecosystem.
originally I was thinking we would have like a TH-CA certified kind of program for trainers.
But the more I actually built the app demo and put that into true reality, something became pretty obvious.
If we are intentionally matching a human and a dog, it also makes sense to then match that pair with a trainer.
Based on location, based on training style, based on specialization.
So the system now creates a purpose-built training plan for the human canine pair.
And it connects them to a pre-screened directory of purpose focused trainers who align with that plan.
That's why this aligns so naturally with social prescribing.
It treats the human canine bond as something that can be designed for health and wellbeing.
Not left to chance.
I've talked a lot about learning this year, but what did I learn? What did we learn? I have listed the stats for you many times in previous episodes, so I'm not gonna do that in this episode.
But I did want to point out kind of an overall hierarchy of learning. A level of understanding. I came to the conclusion of at the end of this year.
And that is that rescue professionals and mental health practitioners want the same thing.
They want fewer failed placements.
They want less burnout.
They want more stability.
They want more dignity.
They want more success stories.
But they don't have shared infrastructure, so it's [00:20:00] almost impossible to realize that they actually want the same things and it's even less likely to discover how much they could offer each other.
That is what TH-CA is building.
so here's what year two, season two is gonna look like. We are not just a podcast, we are a mission-focused organization and we are moving into research interviews, community insight gathering to shape the data behind this platform.
You can be part of it. Join our pack, subscribe to the Alliance Insider, and you'll receive an invite.
We are going to be building focus groups.
We are going to be putting out web surveys.
We are going to be seeking your advice and your opinion, and we need your support in order to make that happen.
If you're not following us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or YouTube, please do! Things like following, sharing, subscribing, they matter.
Because visibility is part of how impact driven ventures like us are taken seriously.
So please follow, like, share. Those are all free ways you can support us.
And if you haven't watched the app demo yet, that is the fastest way to understand what we're doing. In two minutes, you will understand why The Human-Canine Alliance can't stay in its infancy and needs the right people to help it grow.
And once it does, we will wonder how we ever lived without it.
Thank you so much for listening to The Human-Canine Alliance podcast.
I am Stacie, your host. I hope you continue to listen. And watch.
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