Hope's Therapy Dogs

Hope's Therapy Dogs Multi-award-winning therapy dog support that brings calm, connection & hope.

Evidence-based, ethical and trusted by schools, NHS teams & caring employers to make a real difference. 🐾
https://bio.site/HopesTherapyDogs

This happens when professionally delivered therapy dog programmes enter schools, NHS settings, and workplaces:🧠 Cortisol...
30/10/2025

This happens when professionally delivered therapy dog programmes enter schools, NHS settings, and workplaces:

🧠 Cortisol levels drop by up to 50% within 20 minutes of interaction
💙 Blood pressure and heart rate decrease measurably, the body physically shifts out of stress response
🎯 Anxiety scores reduce significantly, often where other interventions have plateaued
🗣️ Communication barriers break down, children who haven't spoken begin to engage
👥 Social connection improves, isolated individuals find a bridge back to their teams
📈 Attendance increases, students and staff show up more consistently
⏱️ The effects last, benefits extend well beyond the session itself

But here's what matters most:
These aren't just statistics.
They're the teacher who can finally get through their day without feeling overwhelmed.
The student who walks into school instead of refusing.
The NHS worker who remembers why they chose this profession.
The team that rediscovers what it feels like to be human together.

Professional therapy dog programmes don't just "help people feel better."
They create measurable shifts in:
→ Emotional regulation
→ Social engagement
→ Stress resilience
→ Workplace culture
→ Educational outcomes
→ Staff retention
All while maintaining the highest standards of safety, ethics, and animal welfare.

This isn't a luxury.
It's evidence-based wellbeing intervention that works.

If your school, NHS team, or organisation is serious about supporting mental health and creating environments where people can actually thrive,
This is what that looks like in practice.
Not another app. Not another poster campaign. Not another resilience workshop.
Real connection. Real regulation. Real results.

Ready to explore what this could look like in your setting?

Let's talk: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/free-value-session-with-alison-colley
Question for you:
Which of these outcomes would matter most in your environment right now?

When I first started talking to organisations about therapy dog programmes, I heard the same things again and again:“It ...
28/10/2025

When I first started talking to organisations about therapy dog programmes, I heard the same things again and again:

“It sounds lovely, but too complicated.”
“We don’t have the budget.”
“We’d never get leadership buy-in.”

And yet, every single organisation that went ahead discovered something unexpected:

- The ROI is measurable (reduced sickness, higher morale, calmer spaces).
- The setup was simpler than anyone imagined.
- The impact? Instant.
- People are still talking about it months later.

The truth?
The barrier wasn’t the process.
It was the assumption about the process.

Because when wellbeing is non-negotiable, when burnout is real, and teams are running on empty, doing nothing is actually the most expensive option of all.

So if your people need this (and I suspect they do), what’s it really costing you to wait?

💬 Let’s have a conversation, no pressure, just clarity.

Book a time with me: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/free-value-session-with-alison-colley

"What about allergies? Insurance? Safety protocols?"If you're an HR leader or facilities manager, these are probably you...
24/10/2025

"What about allergies? Insurance? Safety protocols?"
If you're an HR leader or facilities manager, these are probably your first questions.
And they should be.
Here's the reality:
Every organization we work with asks the same things:

What if someone's allergic?
What's the liability?
How do we ensure safety?
What about our specific environment?

We don't just have answers. We have systems.

Every session is:
✅ Fully risk-assessed for your specific space
✅ Comprehensively insured
✅ Adapted to your environment and team needs
✅ Designed with safety protocols for both humans and dogs

This isn't a casual "bring dogs to work" day.

It's a professional wellbeing service with the same rigor you'd expect from any workplace initiative.

Because we know that for you to say yes, you need more than "it'll be great."
You need documentation. Protocols. Risk mitigation. Clear processes.
You need to know this won't create problems while solving one.

That's exactly what we provide.
Swipe through for the practical details ➡️

HR and workplace leaders: What's your biggest concern when considering new wellbeing initiatives? Let's address it in the comments 👇

Just 45 minutes of safe, soft, authentic connection.And weeks later?They're still talking about it.Not because it was fu...
23/10/2025

Just 45 minutes of safe, soft, authentic connection.

And weeks later?

They're still talking about it.

Not because it was fun (though it was).

Because something fundamental changed in how they felt with each other.

That's emotional safety taking root.

Not over months of programming.
In one session.

Because sometimes what teams need most isn't another initiative.

It's permission to be human together.

Swipe to see what creates that shift ➡️

Question for leaders: What's created genuine connection moments in your workplace? Drop your experience below 👇

"Is this just a fluffy perk?"That's what most HR leaders ask when they first hear about therapy dog sessions.Fair questi...
22/10/2025

"Is this just a fluffy perk?"

That's what most HR leaders ask when they first hear about therapy dog sessions.

Fair question.

Because let's be honest, wellbeing initiatives have become a checkbox exercise for most organizations.

Free fruit nobody eats.
Mindfulness apps nobody opens.
Wellness webinars nobody attends.

So when someone suggests bringing dogs into the workplace? I get the skepticism.

But here's where the evidence speaks:

Our sessions are backed by research showing measurable impacts on stress levels, engagement, and team morale.

Cortisol drops. Oxytocin rises. Blood pressure stabilizes.

That's the data side.
Then there's the human side.

The team member who actually smiled for the first time in weeks.
The department that finally had a real conversation, not about work.
The manager who said "I didn't realize how much tension I was carrying."

The smiles. The laughter. The stories that follow long after the session ends.

That's the difference between fluffy perks and functional wellbeing.

One looks good in a benefits package.
The other actually changes how your team feels at work.

Swipe through to see why evidence-informed wellbeing works. ➡️

Curious about what this could look like for your team? Let's talk. Link in comments.

Your team isn't burned out from working too hard.They're burned out from feeling unseen while doing it.I've watched this...
21/10/2025

Your team isn't burned out from working too hard.

They're burned out from feeling unseen while doing it.

I've watched this pattern play out in organization after organization:

→ Introduce wellness program
→ Low engagement
→ Assume staff don't care
→ Nothing changes

But here's what most miss: Your team is exhausted by "solutions" that feel like more work.

Another app to download.
Another workshop to attend.
Another survey about their wellbeing.

What they're actually craving? Something simple. Something real. Something that doesn't require them to perform.

The thing nobody talks about:
Burnout doesn't just show up in productivity metrics.

It shows up in:

The silence in the break room
The "I'm fine" that means anything but
The way people eat lunch at their desks
The absence of genuine laughter
Your team is there. But they're not present.

Here's what we've learned:
Therapy dogs can't fix systemic issues. I'm not suggesting they can.

But they offer something your staff desperately need: soft, safe, grounding connection.

Something that asks nothing in return.
Something that just... is.

And in that space? Something shifts.

Shoulders drop.
Real smiles emerge.
Colleagues reconnect—not about work, just as humans.
The room feels lighter.

It's not magic. It's presence.

The ROI nobody measures:
We can't quantify the value of a genuine smile.

But we can see it in:

The team member who finally relaxes
The colleagues who actually talk to each other
The person who says "I didn't realize how tense I was until I wasn't"
Small interventions. Big difference.

Swipe through to see what happens when you give your team permission to pause ➡️

Because maybe the wellbeing solution your team needs isn't more complex.

Maybe it's simpler than you think.

A child who hasn't spoken all morning will tell a dog about their weekend.Not because the dog asks questions. Because th...
17/10/2025

A child who hasn't spoken all morning will tell a dog about their weekend.

Not because the dog asks questions. Because the dog doesn't.

Here's why this matters:

Schools are performance spaces. Students are constantly being assessed, observed, compared. Even supportive conversations with adults carry an undertone of evaluation.

A dog sidesteps all of that.

When a student sits with a therapy dog, they're not being assessed on their emotional literacy. They're not worrying whether their feelings are appropriate or articulate enough. They're just present.

And in that space, things emerge.

The student who's been "fine" mentions they're not sleeping. The one who's disruptive in class shows remarkable gentleness. The high achiever finally stops performing and just breathes.

This isn't about dogs having special powers. It's about what happens when we remove the evaluative gaze that permeates educational settings.

The question isn't whether therapy dogs belong in schools.

The question is: what are therapy dogs teaching us about how students need to be seen?

And once we understand that, how do we build those conditions into school life, not just the twenty minutes with the dog?

The results are in, and they tell a beautiful story. 🐶When we asked what you'd name a therapy dog, 40% chose Captain Cal...
03/10/2025

The results are in, and they tell a beautiful story. 🐶

When we asked what you'd name a therapy dog, 40% chose Captain Calm, and honestly?

That says everything about what we're all searching for right now.
In our workplaces, our schools, our healthcare settings... we're craving calm. We need it.

And therapy dogs don't just bring comfort, they create these quiet moments of peace in the middle of chaos.

At Hope's Therapy Dogs, we've watched our seven dogs (starting with Pippa, our first) do exactly this across the North West. They walk into rooms carrying stress and anxiety, and somehow, just by being present, they shift the atmosphere.

Captain Calm won this poll, but here's what really matters: whether you chose Echo, Juno, or even Fur-gale (we see you, creative souls! 😊), you all recognised something important, that our environments desperately need more connection, more humanity, more care.

Thank you to everyone who voted and shared. Your voices matter in this conversation about wellbeing.

What would your workplace look like with a therapy dog walking the corridors?

We ask children to speak before they're ready so often. To participate. To engage. To be heard. But what happens when th...
02/10/2025

We ask children to speak before they're ready so often. To participate. To engage. To be heard.

But what happens when the pressure to speak becomes the very thing that keeps them quiet?

At Hope's Therapy Dogs, we don't force breakthroughs. We create safe spaces where they can happen naturally.

Bridges between silence and speech. Between anxiety and courage. Between isolation and connection.

For some children, the first step toward finding their voice doesn't begin with words at all. It begins with a touch. A moment of pure, uncomplicated acceptance.

And from there, everything follows.

If you're curious about how structured therapy dog programmes can support children's confidence and wellbeing,

I'd love to chat: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/free-value-session-with-alison-colley

Address

Liverpool
WN80AY

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 12pm

Website

https://bio.site/HopesTherapyDogs

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