Comfort brought by gentle animals
Faithful Friends is an all-volunteer animal-assisted therapy ministry. Since 1993 our registered pet teams have visited hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and care centers across the Houston and Clear Lake area, at no cost to anyone we visit.
A ministry born from hardship and hope
Faithful Friends started with one person coming out the other side of a hard year. After the most difficult twelve months of her life, founder Shari Ferguson felt called to bring comfort to people who were hurting.
Through her church she found a way to combine three things she already loved: caring for children, walking alongside seniors, and her deep affection for dogs. She first learned that animal-assisted therapy existed at dog shows, while showing her Siberian Husky.
She began with two volunteers and two dogs. In September 1993, University Baptist Church in Houston became the home of the Faithful Friends Animal-Assisted Therapy Ministry, and the teams have been visiting ever since.
What began with a single care center now reaches communities across the greater Houston and Clear Lake area, month after month.
The first teams
A good therapy animal has never been about breed or pedigree. It is about a calm, gentle heart, and some of the gentlest hearts came from the hardest starts.
Reveille and Tamu
A dependable Collie mix and an energetic Siberian Husky. Tamu was the dog that first brought Shari to animal-assisted therapy, and both learned to settle gently into the quiet of a nursing-home room.
Bear
A rescued Chow who had known abuse and neglect. Known in the ministry as “God’s little miracle,” his own story of recovery is what let him reach traumatized teenagers no one else could.
Where our teams go
Our volunteers bring warmth and companionship to the places where a little comfort goes a long way.
Hospitals
Bedside visits that ease anxiety and brighten long days of healing.
Nursing and senior living
Familiar warmth and companionship for residents and their families.
Care and rehabilitation centers
Gentle visits that support recovery, therapy, and emotional wellbeing.
Schools
Calming, confidence-building moments, including children reading aloud to a patient dog.
Over the years our teams have included dogs of every size, as well as cats, rabbits, a ferret, and even turtles. What matters is a calm, friendly temperament and current vaccinations, not breed or species.
The ministry now
Still volunteer-run, still free, and still built on the same idea it started with.
All-volunteer
Every handler is a volunteer. There has never been paid staff on a visit.
Free to every facility
Visits are provided at no cost to the hospitals, homes, and schools we serve.
Registered teams
Each animal passes a temperament evaluation and keeps its vaccinations current before it ever visits.
A 501(c)(3) organization
In May 2026 the ministry became Faithful Friends Animal-Assisted Therapy, Inc., a tax-exempt organization in its own right.
Houston and Clear Lake
Teams visit communities across the greater Houston and Clear Lake area.
More than three decades
Continuously visiting since September 1993.
Come and be part of it
You do not need to own a pet to volunteer, and there is no age limit. If you would like to join us, or invite our teams to visit your facility, we would love to hear from you.
Common Questions
About the Ministry
Questions people ask about who we are and how long we have been doing this.
Our History
How long has Faithful Friends been visiting?
Who started the ministry?
How We Are Organized
Is Faithful Friends a registered nonprofit?
Does a visit cost anything?
What area do you serve?
Stories ofComfort & Joy
The difference a friendly visit can make
Get Involved with Faithful Friends
Our volunteer pet teams visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and care centers across the greater Houston and Clear Lake area.