What Divine Canines does

Divine Canines is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 in Austin, Texas, that provides free therapy dog services to vulnerable populations in Central Texas. The organization trains volunteer dog-handler teams that conduct scheduled visits to more than 210 partner sites including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, senior living facilities, veterans' clinics, and community organizations. With approximately 190 active dog-handler teams making more than 63,000 individual contacts and traveling more than 10,000 miles annually, Divine Canines serves children with literacy or developmental challenges, individuals with mental illness, hospitalized patients, older adults with Alzheimer's or dementia, and wounded soldiers and veterans with PTSD or traumatic brain injury.

The organization operates on a positive-reinforcement, inclusion-based training philosophy inherited from co-founder Lee Mannix, partnering with the Canine Center for Training and Behavior (CCTB) for therapy dog preparation. All services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge. The business model relies on three revenue streams: tax-deductible individual donations, training fees of $290 per volunteer team (with partial scholarships available), and an annual May fundraising event called Barks for Beers that partners with 30 Central Texas craft breweries. Barks for Beers is the organization's largest annual fundraiser, with participants purchasing a pint glass and Pawsport for $30+ to receive pours at participating breweries.

Divine Canines is led by founder Victoria (Tori) Keith and Executive Director Max Woodfin (since February 2013), supported by a board of directors and advisory council. The organization employs only 9 staff and relies on a large volunteer workforce. Operations are geographically confined to Central Texas with no indication of expansion plans beyond the region.

Name

Divine Canines

Legal name

Divine Canines

Website

https://divinecanines.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Divine Canines is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004 that trains volunteer dog-handler teams to provide free therapy dog services to hospitals, schools, senior facilities, and veteran organizations across Central Texas, serving over 63,000 individuals annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Pet therapy services
• Therapy dog training
• Animal-assisted therapy
• Volunteer dog handlers
• Nonprofit community fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the nonprofit's mission of providing free therapy dog services. Donations are used to support Divine Canines program work in Central Texas.
2. Barks for Beers Fundraising Event: Annual fundraising event in May where participants purchase a pint glass and Pawsport for $30+ tax at participating breweries, entitling them to one pour at each brewery. This is the organization's largest fundraiser supporting 190+ active dog-handler teams.
3. Therapy Dog Training Fees: Therapy dog training offered for a $290 fee with a $100 partially nonrefundable deposit to reserve space. Limited partial scholarships available for applicants with financial need.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Divine Canines is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains volunteer dog-handler teams and deploys them to provide free pet therapy visits at hospitals, schools, senior living facilities, veteran service centers, and community organizations across Central Texas. Its core offering is the Divine Canines Pet Therapy Services program, with named sub-programs such as Barking Book Buddies (reading assistance), Mental Health Advocacy, and the Wounded Warriors and Veterans Program, supported by a five-week Therapy Dog Training program and the annual Barks for Beers brewery fundraising event.

Product overview

Divine Canines is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a single, unified service offering: pet therapy programs delivered by trained volunteer dog-handler teams. The organization does not offer software products or technology platforms. Its core service is the Divine Canines Pet Therapy Services program, which includes specialized sub-programs such as Barking Book Buddies (reading assistance), Mental Health Advocacy, Wounded Warriors and Veterans Program, and Wellness services. Related offerings include therapy dog training (a prerequisite training program for volunteers) and Barks for Beers (annual fundraiser). The organization serves Central Texas communities across schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, and veteran services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Barks for Beers: Annual fundraising event partnering with Central Texas craft breweries. Participants purchase a pint glass and Pawsport for $30, entitling them to one pour at each of 30 participating breweries throughout May. This is Divine Canines' largest fundraiser supporting therapy dog services.

Products and services

• Divine Canines Pet Therapy Services
• Barking Book Buddies
• Mental Health Advocacy Program
• Wounded Warriors and Veterans Program
• Divine Canines Therapy Dog Training
• Barks for Beers

Quantifiable outcome

• 63,000+ individual contacts per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 30 Central Texas Craft Breweries (Barks for Beers Partners)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026Annual Barks for Beers fundraising event partners Divine Canines with 30 Central Texas craft breweries. Participating breweries include: 5th Element Brewing, Blue Owl Brewing, Celis Brewery, Cottonwood Creek Brewery, Fast Friends Beer Co, Frontyard Brewing, Hi Sign Brewing, Highway 71 Brewing, Hopsquad Brewing, Lago Vista Brewing Co, Live Oak Brewing Co, Lone Man Mountain Brewing Co, Nomadic Beerworks, Oasis Texas Brewing Company, Oddwood Brewing, Old Gregg Brewing, Power Brewing Project, Prost Alehouse Texas, Real Ale Brewing Co, Red Horn (multiple locations), Roughhouse Brewing, Slot-T Beer Co., Southern Heights, Spirit of Texas Brewstillery, The Brewtorium Brewery and Kitchen, Thirsty Planet Brewing, Vacancy Brewing, Vista Brewing. Participants purchase pint glass and Pawsport for $30+ to receive pours at each brewery.
• Ft. Hood Occupational Therapy DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDivine Canines partners with Ft. Hood's Occupational Therapy Department to serve combat veterans experiencing symptoms of PTSD or traumatic brain injury. The soldiers find it easier to be around dogs than people, and interacting with therapy dogs promotes coping skills and social interaction.
• Austin VA CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDivine Canines now also serves veterans at the outpatient clinic of the Austin VA Center, extending PTSD and TBI support services to additional veteran populations in Central Texas.
• Canine Center for Training and Behavior (CCTB)coreTechnology or IntegrationDivine Canines partners with CCTB (formerly Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behavior) for dog training. AKC Canine Good Citizen certification is a prerequisite for Divine Canines training, and CCTB evaluators offer CGC preparation classes. CCTB conducts evaluations for Divine Canines teams.
• Austin State HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDivine Canines began with five dog-and-handler teams and one large client - the Austin State Hospital. The organization continues to promote social skills and friendship at the Austin State Hospital, where residents experience positive social interactions and mutual respect.
• Austin State Supported Living CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDivine Canines promotes social skills and friendship at the Austin State Supported Living Center, a school for persons with mental/developmental disabilities. Currently on hold due to COVID.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pet Partners: Pet Partners is the largest national therapy animal organization in the U.S., registering and supporting therapy animal teams across all 50 states. Directly comparable to Divine Canines as a therapy-animal volunteer-based nonprofit, but at significantly greater national scale.
• Canine Companions for Independence: Canine Companions for Independence is a national nonprofit that trains service dogs for individuals with disabilities. Comparable in nonprofit dog-training mission and beneficiary focus, but specializes in service dogs rather than therapy/visitation dog teams.

Direct peers

• Love on a Leash: Love on a Leash is a nonprofit that certifies therapy dog teams and facilitates visits to hospitals, schools, and care facilities. Comparable volunteer-driven pet therapy model with multi-region presence.
• Alliance of Therapy Dogs: Alliance of Therapy Dogs is a national therapy dog certification and visitation organization based in Wyoming. Highly comparable to Divine Canines in mission, volunteer-team model, and facility visit program, with a national footprint where Divine Canines is regional.
• Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dogs: Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dogs is a faith-affiliated therapy dog program that deploys handler-dog teams to disaster sites, hospitals, and schools nationwide. Comparable in mission and outreach to vulnerable populations, with established disaster-response and crisis-deployment capability.
• Good Dog Foundation: Good Dog Foundation is a New York-based pet therapy nonprofit that trains and certifies therapy dog teams for hospital, school, and community visits. Directly comparable therapy-dog nonprofit with a structured training program analogous to Divine Canines' $290 five-week curriculum.

Emerging players

• Project Pawsitive Therapies: Project Pawsitive Therapies is a therapy dog organization serving North Carolina. Comparable volunteer pet-therapy model with a smaller footprint than national peers; useful reference for Divine Canines' potential expansion-stage benchmarks.

Regional players

• Bright Spot Therapy Dogs: Bright Spot Therapy Dogs is a New England-based nonprofit that trains and certifies therapy dog teams for visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. Comparable to Divine Canines in service model and beneficiary mix, but operates in a different geographic region.
• Austin Pets Alive!: Austin Pets Alive! is a Central Texas animal welfare nonprofit that rescues dogs (and cats) at risk of euthanasia and adopts them out. Divine Canines draws its therapy dogs from this regional shelter/rescue ecosystem, making it a direct upstream supply and community peer.

Others

• Dogs for the Deaf: Dogs for the Deaf is a nonprofit that rescues dogs from shelters and trains them as service animals for people with hearing loss and other disabilities. Mission-adjacent to Divine Canines through its rescue-and-train model and disability-serving beneficiary base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/divinecanines
• Facebookfacebook.com/121909181195609
• Instagraminstagram.com/barksforbeers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/divine-canines

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Divine Canines