Where rescued dogs teach compassion and so much more
If a dog was your teacher, what could you learn?
Healing Species Texas teaches compassion with rescued dogs as teachers and healers, building kindness, courage, perseverance, hope, resilience, empathy and service in people of all ages.
100,000+
young people reached
1,000+
adults reached
Over 16 years
in Texas schools and juvenile facilities
Hundreds of dogs
serving alongside our instructors
HOW IT GREW
It started with children. It didn't stop there.
Healing Species began when founder Cheri Brown Thompson studied the link between animal cruelty and violence toward people. The answer was to reach children early, with lessons in empathy and compassion, and help interrupt the cycle of violence and abuse. Then the dogs kept finding more people who needed them.
1
Classrooms
Rescued dogs came into Texas schools to teach empathy, kindness and resilience.
2
Juvenile facilities
The same lessons reached youth in juvenile correctional facilities.
3
Jails and behavioral health
Adults found that a dog doesn't judge where you've been.
4
Workplaces
Teachers needed the dogs as much as their students did, so now we teach staff too.
FIND YOUR PROGRAM
Who are you bringing the dogs to?
FOR SCHOOLS
HST Youth
Classroom lessons for grades 2 through 12, from Foundation Lessons to our full curriculum.
FOR SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES
Dogs of Character
An assembly featuring three rescue dogs that teach character, compassion, kindness and caring for others.
FOR CORRECTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SETTINGS
Project PAWS
Specially trained rescued dogs and lessons selected for the needs of youth and adults in your care.
See Project PAWS
FOR WORKPLACES
The Canine Insight
A 90-minute workshop where rescued dogs teach your team about resilience, trust, communication and courage.
OUR MISSION
To inspire kindness, empathy and resilience, reduce and prevent community violence, and teach compassion with rescued dogs as teachers and healers.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
The dogs are the teachers
"This program should be in every school in Texas"
ASHLEY FONTENOT
"Every day we would see the impact Healing Species had on our students"
JOSE LONGORIA
"When the dogs come weekly, our kids suddenly become kinder and respectful."
ELIZABETH ANDREWS
"My team had the best experience learning new ways to communicate and work together"
DEB TAYLOR
WHERE WE'VE TAUGHT
Teaching across Texas
School districts
- Spring ISD
- Klein ISD
- Humble ISD
- Aldine ISD
- Houston ISD
- Conroe ISD
- Katy ISD
- Pearland ISD
Juvenile correctional facilities
- Harris County JPD
- Montgomery County JPD
- Walker County JPD
- Travis County JPD
Behavioral health and corrections
- The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD
- Harris County Sheriff's Department
- Ben Taub Neuropsychiatric Center
- Tri County Behavioral Health