"Strengthening the canine-human connection through education and compassionate Interactions"
Meet Our Volunteers
Our volunteers give countless hours each week to facilities and events around Treasure Valley of Southwest Idaho. Their dedication to bringing comfort and the pleasure of a dog's love is admirable.
Adam
Adam publishes our quarterly newsletter.
Adam is shown here with Stanley a Standard Poodle who loved shaking hands and making new friends.
Adam and Stanley were a certified pet therapy team for many years. Sadly Stanley passed away this year. Adam is training "Tootie" who shoul dbe ready forr certification soon.
Alayne & Hank
Hank is a labrador retriever. He and Alayne and family works with horse and livestock owners teaching land management practices.
Alayne and Hank are a certified therapy dog team anxious to visit through out the Treasure Valley.
Aubrey
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Wesley was a cream Golden Retriever with a happy open face. He recently passed and will greatly missed.
Aubrey and Wesley were a certified therapy dog team visiting at an area hospital.
Aubrey is training her new golden retriever named Goldie to be a therapy dog.
Bonnie & Bentley
Bonnie also serves as secretary of our Board of Directors.
Bentley is an English Mastiff who enjoys all his visits. Bentley and Bonnie joined HIDI in January 2022 and have had lots of fun doing visits. Bentley especially loves visits when there are kids! He is Bonnie's 7th English Mastiff, the 4th therapy dog.
Caitlin & Simon
Caitlin is the Community Events Program manager coordinating or involvement in many community events each year. Caitlin also on the Board for Helping Idaho Dogs.
Simon is a Goldendoodle who is mellow and calm in all circumstances but always ready to join the fun.
Caitlin and Simon are a certified therapy dog team and enjoy participating in Events.
Carol & Bernie
Bernie is a Coton du Touleur. The breed is intelligent and sensitive to the needs of people and is known for it's "soft as cotton" coat. After a long career as a therapy dog, Bernie is retiring. He will be greatly missed.
Carole
Carole is the Executive Director of Helping Idaho Dogs. . She brings prior experience building and managing a therapy dog group in California.
She is an AKC approved Canine Good Citizen evaluator, Alliance of Therapy Dogs tester/observer, and long time dog trainer and therapy dog handler.
She provides mentoring and guidance to the volunteers and organization.
Carole is shown here with Chaos her therapy dog who served for over 10 years before his passing.
Clare & Dottie
Clare and Dottie area therapy dog team that relocated to the Treasure Valley of Southwest Idaho with years of therapy dog experience from their previous home in California.
Dottie may be small....but she's all heart and love and enjoys her visits to hospitals, libraries, and many other events.
Clare and Dottie are a Certified Therapy Dog Team.
Claudia & Snickers
Snickers is a very mellow 13 year old Kelpie Mix who was adopted from the Meridian Human Society 11 years ago. She doesn't know a stranger and enjoys getting endless pets. We have visited some care and memory care facilities but would like to also be part of library programs and school programs as well as events.
Claudia and Snickers are a certified therapy dog team.
David & Martin
Martin is a 3 year old Bernedoodle and he is 95 bs. Martin likes going on hikes, swimming, running on the beach, and going to the dog park with his sister Lucy and his humans.
David and Martin became a certified therapy dog team in 2022 and are eager to visit in hospitals and other opportunities.
Dawn J
Dawn is the Assistant Humane Education Director focusing on k-4th grade presentations.
Dawn L & Fen
Fen is a Golden Retriever who melts into your lap and makes you feel like you are the most special person in the world. Fen retired in April, 2024.
Dawn and Fen were a certified pet therapy team and enjoy visiting senior facilities and providing stress relief in both high schools and colleges.
Diana & Kirby
Diana is the Assistant Director of Helping Idaho Dogs.
Kirby is a Labradoodle who quickly wins the hearts of everyone he meets.
Diana and Kirby are a certified therapy dog team who visit regularly at hospitals, memory care, and many Community Events.
Elizabeth (Liz) & Gus
Liz and Gus are originally from Hillsboro, Oregon. They love to go hiking, camping, and on road trips together. One of Gus’s favorite things is fetching stick from lakes and rivers. He loves to swim! They became a therapy team in 2023 and Gus loves all the attention he’s been getting from people on therapy visits. They especially enjoy visiting schools and assisted living facilities.
Ellen
Kalli was a Golden Retriever with a sweet, loving nature.
Kalli recently passed away but spent her final year mentoring Ellen's new therapy dog in training, Cooper. Cooper couldn't have a better role model.
Ellen and Kalli were a certified pet therapy team active in hospital visits and community events.
Jennifer & Harley
Harley is 2 1/2 and might be the only perfect dachshund on the planet. He’s friendly, happy, confident, likes other dogs, kids, even tall men in funny hats! I’m pretty sure he has a sense of humor too! I’ve had dachshunds for years, but only the temperamental ones! When we adopted Harley, and discovered his fantastic personality, I knew he needed to be shared with others.
Jennifer and Harley are a certified therapy dog team.
Kate Pickett
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Kate is our Social Media Manager.
She supports the Facebook and Instagram page for Helping Idaho Dogs.
She provides photos and support for events and fundraisers to help raise the visibility of our organization.
Kim & Petey and Charlie
Petey is a Springer Spaniel and Charlie is a Springer Doodle. While both love taking walks and chasing the ball their true, happy place is with their family and visiting people.
Kim has certified as a pet therapy team with each of her dogs. Petey and Charlie take turns going with Kim visiting in hospitals, assisted living, and libraries.
Leslie & Stout
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Stout is a Italian Mastiff - She is black with startling amber eyes and a sweet demeanor.
Leslie and Stout are a newly certiied pet therapy team
Madeline & Mac
Mac (short for Mackenzie) is a smart, sweet, and spirited 8 year-old Golden Retriever. She and I have done it all together - from adventures like road trips, hiking, fishing, kayaking, biking, flying, swimming to vegging on the couch, binging netflix and cuddling. We do it all together. You can typically find her carrying around her favorite toys, showing them off to everyone she can find. She has a special way with people so we're excited to be part of this amazing program.
Mary & Falito
Falito is a Goldendoodle who got the height of a standard poodle. Falito enjoys meeting new friends young and old, people or puppies.
Mary and Falito are a certified therapy dog team who visits with Mary's co-workers, libraries, and many community events.
Michael & Sophie
Sophie is a six year old golden retriever who enjoys her visits at hospitals, BSU, and many special events.
Mike and Sophie are a Certified Therapy Dog team.
Michelle & Becky
Michelle serves on the Helping Idaho Dogs Board as Treasurer.
She also is the Therapy Dogs Program Manager matching therapy dog teams for requests for one time or recurring pet therapy visits.
Becky is a Landseer Newfoundland who loves reading with kids at the Collister library, visiting at an area hospital, and various assisted living locations. Michelle and Becky are a certified therapy dog team.
Nancy E & Cooper
Nancy provides web support and data base support for Helping Idaho Dogs.
Cooper is a Golden Retriever who makes people laugh with his energetic smile and wagging tail. Nancy and Cooper are a certified therapy dog team.
Nancy N & Matisse
Matisse is an Australian Labradoodle. She had two litters of puppies before she joined Nancy in Boise and that may be why she is sooooo mellow. Or maybe, she’s mellow because of that “No worries, mate” attitude of her home country.
Nancy and Matisse are a certified pet therapy team visiting weekly in hospitals, senior living and participate in many community events.
Pam & Rambo & Max
Both Maks and Rambo are rescue dogs. Rambo also competes in agility and performs at assisted living facilities as a dancing dog. Maks was seven years old when he joined Pam's family and has trained himself to do tricks by watching the other dogs. Maks is a reading dog at area libraries.
Pam and Maks and Pam and Rambo are certified therapy dog teams and active in hospital visits, assisted living, and various community events.
Pam is a tester/observer for Alliance of Therapy Dogs
Pat & Timber
Pat serves on the Board of Directors for Helping Idaho Dogs.
Timber is a golden retriever. She recently certified with Pat as a therapy dog team. She is following in the paw prints of Sage who recently passed away. She will visit at area libraries and schools in their reading programs and participate in Community Events and Humane Education presentations.
Samantha and Josie
Josie and I greatly enjoy doing pet therapy together. We've been volunteering every other week in assisted living facilities for the last year and a half, but are looking for new opportunities to spread puppy love in our valley. When not doing pet therapy, we love taking our morning bike ride together, learning new tricks and skills, and spending time outdoors with our family."
Sandie & Sophie
Sophie is a Yorkie/Shih Tzu mix adopted from Boise Rescue. She is friendly and loves meeting new people. She is a tiny little ball of love that warms the hearts of many.
Sandie and Sophie are a certified therapy dog team participating in Humane Education and other events.
Sandra
Sandra is shown here with Chase. Sandra and Chase were a long time therapy dog team active in many special events and visits at an area in-patient program.
Chase passed away but Sandra remain an active volunteer with our organization.
Sandra is training a rescue golden retriever named Jake and plans to certify with him as a therapy dog team soon.
Shannon & Dosi
Shannon serves on the Board of Helping Idaho Dogs.
Shannon is shown here with Dosi-Do, who passed away at 14 in April 2024. Dosi accompanied Shannon to work bringing her loving nature to visit hospice patients as well as doing therapy visits in her "free time".
Susan & Ellie Mae
Ellie Mae is a sweet doodle who enjoys visiting with Helping Idaho Dogs
Susan and Ellie Mae are a Certified Therapy Dog Team
Tammy & Shaggy Doo
Shaggy Doo is a Pyredoodle. His favorite place to be is in the middle of people getting lots of love.
Tammy and Shaggy Doo are a certified therapy dog team with plans to work with students of all ages and to visit area hospitals.
Toni & Carly
Carly and Toni have been a therapy team since 2014 doing hospice visits and the reading program at a library. Carly absolutely loves children, and loves showing off her tricks for them.
Toni and Carly recently moved to Idaho and were certified as a therapy dog team. They have become active in Community Events at BSU and other activities since ariving.
Valerie & Penny
Penny is an 8-year old labradoodle. Valerie and Penny have done therapy dog visits together since she was 2-years old including the reading program at the library, senior care facilities, an Adult with Disabilities class, school campuses, businesses, and special events.
Since moving to Idaho, Valerie and Penny have joined Helping Idaho Dogs and are continuing their pet therapy work here.