About Gabriel's Angels

About Us

Gabriel's Angels is the only program in Arizona that delivers healing pet therapy to abused, neglected and at-risk children. Our goals are to instill in children an overall emotional sense of well-being, safety and happiness, and to help them to learn social skills that will prevent them from continuing the cycle of violence as adults. Within the past year, our pet therapy program has grown by over 20%. We currently provide pet therapy services to nearly 100 agencies and serve over 12,000 children each year. Our services are provided free of charge to the agency and its children. Gabriel's Angels pet therapy services are provided by volunteer pet therapy teams, usually consisting of a dog and its owner. Teams visit each participating agency on a consistent schedule, interacting with the children and staff. Because response to our pet therapy program has been so positive in the communities we serve, we currently have 39 agencies on a waiting list to begin services. In order to meet this need, Gabriel's Angels seeks to expand our current pet therapy program through recruiting, training and placing additional pet therapy teams. The cost to recruit, train, place and monitor one therapy team for one year is $2,500.

Arizona has over 10,000 children in the foster care system, many as a result of abuse or neglect. As a society, our failure to help these children develop the core behaviors noted above means that we accept an eventual outcome wherein they grow to be abusive adults. Gabriel's Angels has committed itself to breaking the cycle of violence and abuse through pet therapy visitation. In the words of our partner agencies:

There is nothing more heart-warming than to see a child whose own needs have been severely neglected, beam with pride as he grooms and walks one of the dogs from Gabriel's Angels. Crisis Nursery's mission is breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect and Gabriel's Angels is a key partner in our effort.
Marsha Porter, Executive Director

There is no more important task in living than nurturing a child to reach his or her full potential in life. We applaud Gabriel's Angels for the work they do in teaching the Homeward Bound children the principles of caring, trusting, and loving of themselves as well as others. These principles will be lifelong building blocks for our children in achieving a successful life filled with hope for the future.
Milon Pitts, Client Services Director

Our children literally welcome our pet therapy team, Sandy and Will, with 'open arms' each time they visit. For many of our children, Will is the friend they always wished to have or the pet they left behind when they became homeless. We are very grateful that Gabriel's Angels is a part of our program!
Billie Paulson, Director of Family Services, Vista Colina