Northern Lights Therapy Dogs

Northern Lights Therapy Dogs is honored to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sponsors who choose to step forward when the world grows heavy.

These organizations, companies, and nonprofit partners make it possible for our certified teams to go where the day is darkest and bring a measure of comfort, steadiness, and hope.

Because of this support, we are able to meet our mission across Gallatin County, Montana and beyond: easing the hurting, strengthening resilience, and reminding our neighbors that none of us walk alone.

To our sponsors — thank you for aligning with the work, believing in what matters, and helping us carry light into difficult places.

Montana Murray Kennels

Personalized Training Since 2005

Montana Murray Kennels has been dedicated to building healthier, happier dog–handler relationships for nearly two decades. Founder Ron Murray has trained dogs since 2005 and utilizes affection-based training protocols that develop obedience, trust, and handler focus beyond treat-based conditioning. Their philosophy emphasizes engagement, impulse control, responsiveness under distraction, and clear communication between dog and handler.

Montana Murray Kennels provides comprehensive training, dog–handler screening, and ongoing oversight for NLTD teams. Entry-level training surpasses the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) baseline and incorporates structured socialization, environmental exposure, scenario training, and temperament evaluation to determine suitability for therapy and crisis-response work.

Mid-tier preparation includes acclimation to medical and hospice care environments, exposure to medical equipment, mobility aids, wheelchairs, oxygen systems, and hospital noise signatures. Dogs learn to work calmly and safely around vulnerable populations, medical devices, and end-of-life care settings, with an emphasis on stability, gentleness, and emotional sensitivity.

At the advanced level, Montana Murray Kennels supports NLTD’s progression into technical specialties, including trauma-informed deployments, stress-and-crisis environments, and cortisol-scent detection work for FEMA-certified handlers and canine teams capable of responding to catastrophic community events and active-shooter situations.

Their commitment to excellence in evaluation, testing, certification, re-testing, and readiness standards directly supports NLTD’s development of reliable, community-ready canine teams across a spectrum of need. We are grateful for their partnership and for the technical expertise they contribute to advancing a gold-standard training pipeline throughout Montana.

https://montanamurraykennels.com

Tiny Tails K-9 Rescue

Rescue: It’s not just a verb, it’s a promise

Over the years Tiny Tails has sponsored several exceptional dogs to service dog providers and therapy dog groups.  In 2024 our paths crossed with the Northern Lights Therapy Dog program.  We were honored to provide some support for special projects, while the group started to grow.   A few of our adopted dogs have become dog/handler teams of this group from the very beginning.    NLTD is the gold standard in the Therapy dog world.  We are honored to be able to support the ongoing efforts of these dedicated men and women and their amazing Therapy Dogs.  

Since 1995 Tiny Tails K-9 Rescue has been working within the state of Montana to provide specialized care for our community animals as a group of highly trained volunteers including: Veterinarians, Vet Techs, Professional dog trainers and handlers and groomers.  We are a 100 % volunteer No Kill group.  We take in orphaned, dumped and abandoned litters of puppies and kittens.  We also take on special needs and major medical cases, for animals that cannot be at our local shelters.  We work from foster homes with incubators, and other special equipment to provide 24/7 care for the animals that come into the rescue.  We receive no tax payer dollars from city, county, state or federal.  We work strictly from donations and adoption fees.    Tiny Tails also provides low-cost vaccination clinics twice a year for our low income and homeless community pets, as well as spay/neuter services on a case-by-case basis. 

Tiny Tails K-9 Rescue – Welcome