DOGS & KIDS LEARNING TOGETHER.

Teacher’s Pet strives to teach at-risk youth in the metro Detroit area empathy, hope, and perseverance. Each of these invaluable character traits empowers them to lead highly influential and successful lives. The intervention program pairs youth with homeless shelter dogs for multi-week workshops led by our trained professionals. Often for the first time, both youth and dogs experience compassionate love.

During these workshops, youth will:

• Participate in positive, reward-based dog training

• Help modify dogs’ behavior

• Increase dogs’ chances of becoming adopted

• Ensure dogs can remain in their homes permanently

• Improve their impulse control and patience

• Meet twice a week (for two hours each time) at various schools and juvenile facilities throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties

By providing youth and dogs a safe, therapeutic environment time after time, Teacher’s Pet helps them learn, grow and create fruitful futures together....

Mission Statement:

Teachers Pet utilizes the science of the human animal bond to transform the lives of at-risk and special needs populations, as well as the lives of hard-to-adopt shelter dogs.  

Vision statement:

Teachers Pet is a 501(c)3 that facilitates animal assisted interventions for the benefit of vulnerable populations, including but not limited to adjudicated and at-risk youth. Pairing together with harder-to-adopt, local area shelter dogs, we strive to provide therapeutic gains, vocational training, and empowerment in order to build stronger communities and improve dog adoptability.

Camp Oakland, Children’s Village and Macomb programs end December 11th & 12th!

We meet twice a week with the youth and shelter dogs for the10 weeks.

Your generosity and support set the kids and dogs up for success!

⭐️ 2023 was a successful year! ⭐️

As 2023 comes to a close, we would like to say how incredibly grateful we are for everyone that has made this year such a success.

Thank you to the juvenile facilities for always welcoming us with open arms and sharing our excitement over the accomplishments of each youth and dog team.

Thank you to our partner shelters for allowing us to work with your dogs and for busting your butts every day to care for the abandoned, neglected and abused.

Thank you to our volunteers for giving your free time, without you our program wouldn't exist.

Thank you to TP staff and facilitators for sharing your knowledge and compassion.

THANK YOU to our friends, family and community that continue to support our mission. * 2023 was successful because of you! * We head into 2024 with high expectations of impacting the lives of even more critically at-risk youth and hard to adopt shelter dogs! We are excited to start new programs in the next few weeks! 

Empathy. Hope. Perseverance.

Every week Teacher’s Pet strives to teach at-risk youth each of these invaluable character traits—traits that will empower them to lead highly influential and successful lives.

To achieve these goals, the intervention program pairs troubled youth with hard-to-adopt shelter dogs for multi-week workshops.

During these workshops, youth will:

• Participate in positive, reward-based dog training

• Help modify dogs’ behavior

• Increase dogs’ chances of becoming adopted

• Ensure dogs can remain in their homes permanently

• Improve their impulse control and patience

• Meet twice a week (for two hours each time) at various schools and juvenile facilities throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties

By providing youth and dogs a safe, therapeutic environment time after time, Teacher’s Pet helps them learn, grow and create fruitful futures together....