North Texas dog foster service that supports addicts in recovery expands to Fort Worth

To Ashley B. of Weatherford, dogs matter.

Do they ever.

The owner of her own dog sitting business and a dog lover to the max, Ashley (who did not want to use her full name for this article) came across a business called Dogs Matter, based out of Dallas. The nonprofit organization takes care of dogs while their owners are in recovery for addiction.

One question immediately came to Ashley’s mind. Why not expand this to the Fort Worth area?

And she knew just who to call on to make that happen — herself.

“Both dogs and mental health are so very important to me, so I was so excited to learn about them,” she said. “Honestly, I believe they go hand-in-hand. My dogs are so vital to my mental health, so I want to be able to provide a loving home while their parents do the hard work to be the best version of themselves, and by extension, the best dog parents they can be.”

So she contacted them and the organization designated her as their first foster in the Fort Worth area.

“I help with the dogs on this side of the town. I’m hoping to help Dogs Matter grow a large foster base all over DFW, but definitely in Fort Worth,” she said.

Dogs Matter began when its founder, Stephen Knight, a former addict himself, was approached by a friend saying she needed treatment but couldn’t go because she didn’t have anyone to watch her dog. He took her dog in himself and was inspired to turn it into a full-fledged organization. Currently the organization is only in Texas, but Ashley said they plan on expanding to a few other states.

Ashley said dogs are like kids for many pet owners. So, if they don’t have someone to take care of the dog while they are working on themselves in treatment, many times they just won’t go.

“By providing loving homes for these dogs to stay in, we’re ensuring that clients are able to get life-saving treatment and aren’t worried about their dogs. They can focus on doing the hard work,” she said. “Dogs Matter also helps clients with various types of support for up to a year after they return home so that they can have the best chance for a healthy and sober life possible.”

Taylor Stensrud, a director at Dogs Matter, said Ashley has been a tremendous help in expanding their services into the Fort Worth area in 2021. He added that her home dog boarding business has been the perfect fit for their temporary fostering needs.

Along with her work with Dogs Matter, Ashley has her own successful dog business named Perky Tails. She started it in San Diego, where she would walk dogs and sit for them in people’s homes as a way to make extra money.

“We know Fort Worth is a dog-loving and dog-friendly community, so we are always looking for new foster families there to help with our upcoming needs,” he said. “The first of the year is always our busiest time as more and more people are seeking substance abuse treatment and have no place to turn for the care of their dogs.”

After moving back to Texas, she decided to turn it into a full-time career. Now, she has a full acre for the dogs to run and play on, complete with shade — several of whom are waiting on their master to return from rehab.

Ashley is hoping that more like her will come forward to also help the mission in the Fort Worth area. With almost a million just in the city alone, not to mention all the suburbs, there are a lot of addicts with dogs who could use the help.

To volunteer to help, visit www.dogsmatter2.org and apply to become a foster.

“We want to grow so that we can help as many addicts and their dogs as we can, and if you’re able to, please consider supporting us in any way that you can,” she said. “Not everyone can foster, so donations and fundraisers are an awesome way to contribute. Even by just sharing our social media posts is a way to support us, because in doing that you might be reaching other people who need help — or knows someone who needs it.

“Our reunion videos are nothing short of magic, so sharing them can help everyone who watches them because everyone needs a smile.”