Stories of the Dog-Human Bond
April 2026 | Volume 5
What Happens When Conservationists, Financiers, and Therapy Dogs Share a Ballroom?
By Jessica Robinson
Tails wag, hearts open, and funds are raised to train and certify more badly needed therapy dogs.
On June 3, more than 230 supporters and 15 therapy dogs gathered at New York City’s Edison Ballroom for The Good Dog Foundation’s Annual Hope & Healing Gala.
The gathering was an eclectic one. It included honorees – the Jane Goodall Institute USA and, Blackstone Charitable Foundation – as well as executives from New York’s major investment banks and law firms, musicians, volunteers, philanthropists, and, of course, four-legged guests who had no interest in the seating chart.
The dogs wasted little time taking over the room. They posed for photos, accepted compliments with practiced ease, and proved far more effective at breaking the ice than any nametag ever could.
As guests mingled over cocktails, a Juilliard jazz trio provided live sound. Their presence was a reminder that Good Dog’s reach extends far beyond hospitals and healthcare settings. Certified teams regularly visit schools like Juilliard, where dogs help students navigate the pressures of conservatory life.
This year’s Hope & Healing Awards were presented to organizations from very different worlds: the Jane Goodall Institute and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation.
(From left) Elias Weiss Friedman, creator of the popular social media series, The Dogist, presented Good Dog's 2026 Hope & Healing Award to Anna Rathmann, JGI Executive Director. Harlee Caplan, Vice President at the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, received the Hope & Healing Award from Good Dog Executive Director Bruce Fagin and Founding President Rachel McPherson.
At first glance, the connection between the two isn’t obvious. One organization is dedicated to species conservation. The other is the charitable giving arm of the world’s leading alternative asset management firm. Yet they both share a belief in the power of the human-animal bond.
“I had a wonderful teacher about animal behavior – my dog Rusty.”
–Jane Goodall
While Dr. Goodall is best known for her pioneering chimpanzee research, she often spoke about the profound influence dogs had throughout her life. In many ways, the curiosity and empathy that defined Goodall’s groundbreaking career began not in the forests of Tanzania, but in England, with a dog. “I had a wonderful teacher about animal behavior – my dog, Rusty,” she often said. Indeed, when Goodall turned 90, she celebrated with 90 dogs at her birthday party in Carmel Beach, California – but not a single chimpanzee!
Blackstone, meanwhile, has experienced the impact of the dog-human bond firsthand. Good Dog therapy teams visit their Park Avenue headquarters monthly.
Harlee Caplan, Vice-President at the company’s Charitable Foundation, could not have said it better: “Blackstone is extremely proud to support an organization whose mission is both simple and profound, bringing comfort, connection and healing to people through the purest form of love… that of a dog.”
The idea that dogs can change lives is hardly new to Good Dog’s founder, Rachel McPherson.
Where It All Began
The highlight of the evening was the premiere of Hope & Healing, a short film that answered a question many guests may not have known to ask: how did The Good Dog Foundation begin?
The opening scene takes the viewers to Monticello, Mississippi, where a young McPherson can be seen with her beloved dog, Uncle Bud. The bond with her childhood pet planted the seed for what, decades later, would become The Good Dog Foundation.
While McPherson did not invent therapy dogs, she helped professionalize the field through her unique training methods which today are considered the gold standard.
When McPherson founded her organization, in 1998, therapy dog programs were still fragmented and not widely accepted. Concerns about infection, liability, and training standards often limited access.
She wasn’t entering a mature field. She was building one.
Through McPherson’s advocacy and rigorous training methods, Good Dog helped demonstrate that properly prepared therapy dog teams could safely and effectively bring emotional relief to patients, their families, and even healthcare professionals.
What began as a simple belief in the healing power of dogs has today evolved into a network of hundreds of volunteer teams helping more than 100,000 people annually throughout the Tri-State area.
So, what happens when conservationists, financiers and therapy dogs share a ballroom?
More than tails wag.
Together, they raised close to $500,000 – enough to recruit, train, certify, insure, and deploy 130 new therapy dog teams over the coming years. That translates into hope and healing for an additional 40,000 children and adults annually.
And to think it all began in Monticello, Mississippi with a little dog named Uncle Bud!
Jessica and Henry
Jessica Robinson
Jessica Robinson is producer, director, writer, and former head of Robinson Creative Services, a direct response marketing agency
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