Photography by Ellie Overman.
When Stephen Knight was in sober living 13 years ago, he received a knock at his door. Somebody had relapsed and needed somewhere to put their dog. They asked Knight to take the dog in, and he still has her to this day.
The small black pup’s name is Jade.
Knight began to wonder how often addicts must run into this issue. They want to get better and seek rehabilitation, but they don’t want to give up their furry friend. A friend that won’t give up on them the way other relationships could.
“As addicts, we usually end up alone,” Knight says. “And we damage a lot of relationships and it takes time to rebuild those relationships.”
Knight researched to see if anyone in the Dallas area was providing a solution to this problem and found almost no options. That was when he decided to start his own nonprofit: Dogs Matter — a temporary foster care system for dogs. People looking for an addiction treatment program can fill out the Temporary Surrender Application on the Dogs Matter website to match their dog with a foster until they have recovered.
A unique feature of Dogs Matter is their aftercare program. After the owner and dog have been reunited, Dogs Matter supports the owner through their recovery process for up to 12 months. They check in with clients and offer a recovery coach, pet deposits if needed and they will rehome the pet if its owner relapses. Knight is also a substance abuse counselor who assists clients in crisis. Seventy percent of the dogs get returned to their owners, while the other 30% are given new permanent homes. Either way, no dog at Dogs Matter has ever gone to a shelter.
One of Knight’s favorite rescue stories happened just this year.
“Last night [July 28] we were able to reunite one of our clients with their two dogs. Last November, she was living in a tent in the wintertime and was really sick. She wanted to go to rehab, but had nowhere to put her dogs,” Knight says, “She found us and we immediately went and got her. She immediately went to the hospital and actually almost died. They said she would have been dead within 48 hours if we hadn’t gotten her and the dog. She went from the hospital to rehab, and then from rehab to sober living. Last night, we’re able to reunite her with her dogs. She will get to start the school year with her son, her new apartment and her two dogs.”
Dogs Matter partnered with Dallas Pets Alive!, a pet rescue focused on adoption, around three years ago. The two organizations work together so that Dogs Matter can focus on getting the pet owners healthy and finding safe places for their dogs, while Dallas Pets Alive! helps them save money on administrative work.
Around two years ago, Dogs Matter was featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show. This boosted the nonprofit from being a small program to a much larger one with more dogs and owners to care for. On the show, Dogs Matter was given $10,000 and a van to transport animals from place to place. The show shined a light on Dog Matter’s mission and more struggling pet owners came to the nonprofit with their animals.
While they take regular donations on their website, the nonprofit’s biggest fundraising event is the annual North Texas Giving Day. In 2023, the event raised $63.9 million.
As the program grows, volunteers, fosters and donations from the community are essential to keeping Dogs Matter afloat. With this help, the nonprofit has serviced around 1,500 dogs throughout the last nine years.
“We take care of your best friend while you take care of yourself,” Knight says.
Dogs Matter is still in need of more people willing to foster pets. Volunteers can apply to foster on their website and will be matched with an animal that will be a good fit. The length of the foster-care commitment can vary based on the client. The nonprofit will be part of North Texas Giving Day on September 19.
