ABOUT US

Thank you for your interest in Heeling Partners of the Roaring Fork Valley. We are an all volunteer, non-profit 501c(3) organization based in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We operate for charitable and educational purposes, visiting health care facilities and schools to provide motivational, educational, recreational and/or therapeutic benefits to enhance quality of life. Public presentations and events are also an important part of our activities.

We provide our services to facilities located in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and Basalt, Colorado. You may live anywhere and visit Heeling Partners facilities in these locations. We also provide help to individuals or groups starting their own programs in other locations. Anyone may become a member of Heeling Partners, with or without a dog.

HEELING PARTNERS TEAMS

The dogs and people shown below (in alphabetical order) have passed their Delta Society evaluation and are full-fledged Heeling Partners teams. We have many more teams who are in preparation and not yet pictured.

Click here to view our RAINBOW BRIDGE teams.

Click here to view our Valley View Hospital "Spirit of Caring" award winners.

ANN & JOIA

ANN & ROSIE

AUDREY & KANE
    All of our dogs are rescue dogs and Kane is no exception. We "found" him the week before Christmas in 2006 when we saw a little boy outside of a store holding a MONSTER dog! We soon found out the little boy was there because he and his family were trying to find a home for this German Shepard/Husky mix with gorgeous blue eyes. Well, no more needed to be said to us! Lickety-split he was in our car and home we went with our "Christmas present"!
     Life has been an adventure ever since then. The yard is now Fort Knox because the Husky in Kane needs to run and we don't want him to but other than that annoying habit, he's the most loving and affectionate dog. If you sit on the floor, that's an open invitation for him to plant his rump in your lap. He practically purrs when he's being brushed and he LOVES to have his face rubbed right between his eyes.
     Kane adores his big brother Koda and chases his little sister Kali around the yard until they both drop from exhaustion. He loves to crawl in bed with our son for a good snooze. He loves riding in cars with his head out the window. He loves to play in water but hates to be bathed. We'll be visiting patients at Valley View Hospital where I'm sure he'll enjoy saying "hi" and getting his face rubbed!

COLIN & LAKE

DAVY & CHICA

DEBBIE & BING!

JAMIE & COSMO
Cosmo was born June 14, 2003. He also answers to Mo, Cos, and Awesomo. Cosmo loves running, swimming, snowshoeing, sleeping by the fire, and being loved. Cosmo likes to sneak onto the bed in the morning for cuddles. He hates being sprayed with water - but will jump into, splash through, and occasionally even dunk his head under, any water he can find - whether still, moving with a current, or mixed generously with mud. Oh - add frozen - Cosmo loves to charge through the snow, too. Cosmo's toys do not last very long. He loves balls, bones, sticks, stuffed toys-whatever - but they all get the same treatment - torn to bits as soon as possible. He's almost as smart as his Border Collie sister. Despite his energy and enthusiasm, Cosmo is a truly gentle soul. There is nothing he likes better than to lean against the nearest dog lover, and accept petting and love. Cosmo is a Renaissance dog - he is an amazing athlete and throws himself into his active outdoor time (including hunting with dad); he enjoys learning new things; and he is not afraid to show his tender, sensitive side either. Cosmo loves meeting new people, especially children. He has limitless love to share.

JANET & ZOE
Zoe was born on March 31, 2002 and her nickname is Zo-zo. She loves retrieving, playing with kids, swimming, going for hikes, sleeping in the sun or by the woodstove. She also loves her doggie companion, MaKenzie, and the snow. Zoe isn't wild about riding in the car or having a bath but she tolerates both to be a Heeling Partner! Zoe's favorite toys are tennis balls and a squeaky green frog. She is the daughter of one of Aspen's firehouse dogs and the great granddaughter of Chopper, a famous Aspen Skiing Company avalanche rescue dog. Zoe also has the cutest ridge of fur on her nose. She likes to deliver Christmas presents. Zoe is very loyal and loving and loves to sit right by our feet, where ever we are.

JENN & FINN
Finn was born on November 11, 2006. His nicknames are “Boy” and “Finndoggin”, and his Indian name is “Whitepaw”. Finn’s favorite things to do are playing fetch with his dog friends, listening to his dad play guitar, going for hikes or skinning with his humans, getting belly scratches, and cuddling. He also loves to play in the snow! Finn doesn’t enjoy being left alone, ignored, or told that it is time to sleep in. He is always ready to start his day before any of his family members! Finn’s favorite “toys” are his many bones that he brings out of his toy box one after the other to chew on until he is surrounded by most of them. Finn attracts a lot of attention and makes many people smile because he has one white paw. Although he can’t speak, he can answer yes by tilting his head to the left or right when you ask him “yes” questions like, “Do you want a biscuit?”  Finn brings so much joy to our family, makes us laugh every day, and always gives back when it comes to sharing affection and taking care of each other. Finn has been raised by us since he was a puppy, and we are so grateful for all he has taught us about love and friendship. And....he loves carrots! 

JOANNE & MAXX
Since Maxx did not join our household as a puppy, we unfortunately missed out on some cute puppy moments, but in the five years since he found his way to our home, he made up for all the times we missed out on. We believe that Maxx's year of birth was 2001 and we are definitely sure that he was the cutest puppy ever!! He is a 15 lb. black and white ShihTzu. We call him our little velcro doggie because he needs to be with his family 100% of the time. You can find Maxx almost every day at his papa's office or at home with his big brother, Jack, lying together on their big bed. Maxx's favorite toy is his stuffed Sponge Bob Square Pants. He loves to have it thrown so he can chase it, and bring it back to play tug of war. When Maxx is not chasing Sponge Bob you can find him sitting beneath the counter that holds his cookie jar, barking and talking to that jar until he gets one of his special treats. He knows exactly which cookie he is asking for and will spit out anything that he doesn't want. A true spoiled gourmet!!! He loves gourmet treats and will NEVER turn down a piece of cheese. Our little "Maxxy" had many homes and some very sad experiences along the way before fate brought him to our family. Our household agrees that Maxx has made our family complete.

KATY & LILY

LAURA L & KELSEA

LAURA V & TEAL
Scylla's Cinnamon Teal was born 9/17/2003; her nicknames include Teal, Tealy, Bucket, Teal the Real Deal. She likes to swim, run and play, chew bones, bull sticks and rawhide. She does not like to have her toenails trimmed! Her favorite toy is the water, as you can see by one of the pictures on her page. Teal is very cute, sweet and cuddly. She “roo roo's” like her mother. I fell in love with her at birth; she was born in my living room and I knew she was going to be mine the first week.

LISA & BRAM

LIZ & SUNNY                                          Sunny was born 10/12/2008. Her registered name is Zion's Miss Golden Sunshine. Sunny loves people, going on walks and chasing a ball.(Fetch is still a work in progress!.) She is devoted to our older dog, Cupcake. Her favorite toy is a tennis ball. Sunny is a rare breed. She is an ISSR Shiloh Shepherd. Sunny is the second Shiloh I've had and I am hooked on them for their looks, smarts and especially sweet temperament. I think everything Sunny does is cute. She is a pretty "all around" dog. Besides her therapy work, she shows in confirmation, is experienced in obedience, rally and agility courses, and is a great trail dog with our horses.

MICHELE & LORDA

MOLLY & SKY

NANCY & TORI                                           Victoria, AKA Tori is a Blue-Merle Australian Shepherd. Her date of birth is 2/3/04. Her nick-names are TT for Tiny Tori when she was a puppy, and also Miss Wiggles.Tori likes all living things and any kind of adventure. She loves the snow! The only thing she dislikes is being awake after 9:00 pm (she needs her beauty sleep) and not being able to go with us everywhere. Her favorite toy is a ball or a stick...she was raised by a Labrador!! Tori loves to ride (and does it well) on ATV’s, dirt bikes and snowmobiles. You can imagine the look of pure joy on her face with her ears flying back and her tongue flapping!  We think every little move she makes is cute... she does know a lot of tricks such as  play dead, roll over, sit pretty, high five, and shake to name a few. She says “please and thank you, hello and goodbye". What I would like people to know about Tori is what a wonderful helper she is with all of our foster animals. It doesn't matter if we have an old, aching Bull Mastiff or a 3 week old kitten, Tori seems to know how to help them adjust, relax, trust, and love. She is everything wonderful, giving and happy all rolled into a big, furry, wiggly bundle of love. Note: Nancy owns/operates a dog grooming business; visit her website at www.theshaggydog.biz

PAM & PATCHES

PEGGY & TUCKER

SARAH & ELLA

TRISH & FINA
Fina was born on 1-6-2003. My husband and I raised guide dog puppies when we lived in California. Fina was raised to be a guide dog and completed 80% of her final training, but was "career changed", so she now gets to visit at the hospital and the school. She likes playing keep-away, retrieving a tennis ball, tummy rubs, toe massages, being around children, walks in the woods, racing around the house after a bath, and playing with other dogs. She definitely does not like having her toenails clipped or being left alone in the house. Fina loves all toys made of Nylabone. One of the many things that makes Fina special is her attentiveness to people's moods. One day during Paws to Read when a child was struggling with her story, Fina put her paw on the girl's arm; the girl smiled and seemed to relax. Fina recognizes a wide variety of words such as "Archie" (her “boyfriend” dog next door), “deer", "Yvonne" (our friend), and "get your bone". When I sit on the floor, she becomes a lap dog.