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Divine Canines provides free animal-assisted therapy services to various organizations in Central Texas, such as: • Children struggling with literacy (through our Barking Book Buddies program) Divine Canines was formed in 2004 by a group of dog lovers who had the goal of sharing the unconditional love of dogs with people confined to special needs facilities in Central Texas. We began with a group of five handlers and dogs, one large client – the Austin State Hospital – and a professional dog trainer who generously agreed to volunteer his time. We now have over 75 dog-handler teams who visit more than 20 facilities and hundreds of children, adults and elderly persons on a regular basis. Our clients face various challenges, and therapeutic interaction with our specially trained dogs results in emotional and physical benefits such as improved mood, confidence, communication, relaxation, and trust. Our success is based on two simple premises. First, there exists a deep, mysterious bond of healing between humans and their dogs. Second, dog enthusiasts comprise a responsible, dedicated and highly driven volunteer demographic. Our volunteer teams care about their community and want to share the joy and unconditional love their dogs give. |
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with Texas Lassos