What denver pet partners does

Denver Pet Partners is a Littleton, Colorado-based non-profit organization that delivers animal-assisted intervention services, with its flagship program, Paws for Smiles, deploying trained therapy dogs into healthcare settings to reduce patient anxiety. The organization operates in partnership with the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine, where its therapy dog teams support dental patients, particularly pediatric and anxious populations, during clinical visits. Over a three-year operational period, the program has reached more than 5,500 individuals.

The organization's service model is volunteer-driven and credentialed-handler-dependent, relying on a network of temperament-certified therapy dog teams that integrate into existing healthcare workflows. There is no indication of proprietary technology, software platform, or digital product component; the core "product" is the in-person therapy dog session itself, delivered within partner facilities under agreed protocols.

As a non-profit, Denver Pet Partners does not generate revenue through fee-for-service billing of end patients. Instead, its operating model is sustained through philanthropic and restricted-fund support, including the dedicated Lila Lee Cogen Paws for Smiles Fund established to underwrite the dental partnership program. The organization is small (1-10 employees), operates within a single state geography (Colorado), and has not disclosed additional programmatic revenue streams, diversified grant funding, or fee-based services beyond the anchored university partnership.

Name

denver pet partners

Website

https://denverpetpartners.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Denver Pet Partners is a Colorado-based non-profit that deploys trained therapy dog teams into healthcare settings—primarily the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine—through its Paws for Smiles program to reduce patient anxiety, reaching 5,500+ individuals over three years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pet Services (Grooming, Training, Daycare) (CRALAIAJ), Behavioral Medicine & Training-Integrated Veterinary Services (HLAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Animal-assisted therapy
• Therapy dog services
• Volunteer handler training
• Healthcare therapy programs
• Nonprofit therapy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Littleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Partnership Services: Denver Pet Partners provides therapy animal services through partnerships with healthcare institutions like the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine. The organization operates with support from charitable funds such as the Lila Lee Cogen Paws for Smiles Fund.

Core offering

Denver Pet Partners deploys certified therapy dogs and trained volunteer handler teams into healthcare and educational settings to deliver animal-assisted intervention services. The flagship Paws for Smiles program brings therapy dogs into clinical spaces such as dental clinics to reduce patient anxiety, lower stress, and create calming environments during medical procedures. Services are delivered through institutional partnerships and supported by charitable funds.

Product overview

Denver Pet Partners is a nonprofit organization that provides therapy animal services through a network of trained therapy dogs. The organization operates through institutional partnerships, such as the Paws for Smiles program with the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine, bringing therapy dogs into clinical and educational spaces. The service model centers on partnering with facilities to deliver animal-assisted intervention programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paws for Smiles Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Program has served over 5,500 individuals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenver Pet Partners has an established partnership with the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine for the Paws for Smiles program. The program brings certified therapy dogs into dental clinic spaces to provide comfort and reduce patient anxiety. The partnership has grown from a pilot program into a structured, three-year ongoing offering that has served over 5,500 individuals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Others

• PetSmart Charities: Major animal-welfare grantmaker that funds therapy and support-animal programs nationally; relevant as a potential funding source rather than a direct competitor, but shapes the capital landscape in which Denver Pet Partners operates.

Emerging players

• paws4people: Nonprofit that trains and places service dogs and facility dogs in hospitals, schools, and court settings. Adjacent model with shared clinical-deployment channel but different training intensity and mission.
• Canine Companions for Independence: National nonprofit providing highly trained service dogs and facility dogs for clinical and educational settings. Overlaps with Denver Pet Partners in animal-assisted clinical work but focuses on task-trained service dogs rather than therapy visitation teams.

Direct peers

• Alliance of Therapy Dogs: National nonprofit that tests, certifies, and registers therapy dog teams for visits to hospitals, schools, and nursing facilities. Directly comparable volunteer-network model and clinical deployment focus.
• Therapy Dogs International: Long-standing therapy dog certification and visitation organization serving hospitals and healthcare facilities with volunteer handler teams. Closely aligned mission, training regime, and customer type.
• Love on a Leash: National therapy dog nonprofit providing certified volunteer teams for visits to hospitals, cancer centers, and schools. Comparable volunteer-driven delivery model and healthcare customer base.
• Good Dog Foundation: Therapy dog nonprofit that trains and places volunteer teams in healthcare, educational, and social-service settings, with strong academic-medical-center partnerships similar to Denver Pet Partners' anchor with CU Anschutz.
• Pet Partners: The largest national therapy animal organization in the U.S., registering volunteer therapy animal teams and deploying them in clinical, educational, and community settings — the same core service model as Denver Pet Partners, but at national scale.
• Bright Spot Therapy Dogs: Regional (New England) therapy dog organization deploying certified volunteer teams in healthcare facilities. Comparable model, narrower geographic footprint than Denver Pet Partners.

Broad incumbents

• Humane Society of the United States: Large national animal welfare nonprofit with broad programming; relevant as the parent category of animal-welfare nonprofits but does not focus on clinical animal-assisted therapy delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/denverpetpartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 denver pet partners