About Us

The Upper Michigan Dog Therapy Partnership is a nonprofit organization based in Marquette, Michigan.

The partnership is a community benefit of Marquette General Healthcare System. With their happy tails wagging and their owners smiling, the Upper Michigan Dog Therapy Partnership's Pet Partner volunteers are helping patients and residents of hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living centers feel better and get better.

One of our Pet Partners put it best when she said, "The opportunity to share the unconditional love and acceptance that your dog can offer to patients is an unbelievably satisfying and enjoyable experience".

Our Pet Partners Assist in Patient Rehabilitation

Dogs, besides having the special qualities of unconditional love and acceptance, are fun and intelligent. It is all of these canine qualities that allow dogs to assist in providing rehabilitation to patients.

Animal assisted therapy is provided to patients when licensed dogs and their owners known together as Pet Partners work with patients and therapists to attain specific rehab goals. Retrieving a bouncing ball thrown by a patient working on their balance in physical therapy is all in a days work for a Pet Partner dog.

Our Pet Partners Also Visit Patients for Fun

Sometimes it's more fun for a patient to be with a dog for pure enjoyment, without the demands of therapy.

Animal assisted activity is provided to patients when Pet Partners interact with them purely for enjoyment. Receiving the unconditional Love from a friendly Pet Partner's dog is sometimes the best therapy of all!

Operating Room staff with Arlo
on Halloween

Ed and Penny Anderson, Pet Partners, and Arlo


Darlene McElhaney, Pet Partner
with KC and Chloe


Zac and Megan


Saydee


Amos, the bloodhound
and Megan


The Late Boomer-CoFounder