My name is Dr. Michelle Gutsch, founder of Healing Paws, a therapy dog breeding and training program based in Duluth, Minnesota. I hold a MS and PhD and am completing another Master of Science in Counseling with an emphasis in Child and Adolescent Disorders. I work night shifts at a residential facility serving traumatized youth, where every night I watch kids struggle to connect — with adults, with each other, with themselves.

Healing Paws will specialize in breeding Boston Terriers, Buggs, and FrenchTons — breeds known for their loving, gentle, and calm temperaments — specifically for therapy work. My vision is to bring these dogs into residential treatment facilities, group homes, veteran centers, hospice facilities, schools, and anywhere people need unconditional love and connection.

My own Boston Terrier, Cookie, spent her first two years as a therapy dog in training, visiting schools and spending her days with children — and the impact was undeniable.

To launch Healing Paws fully, I need to build a professional kennel facility on my property — including a large shed and custom indoor and outdoor fencing — so I can safely house, whelp, and socialize our therapy dog litters.

At Healing Paws, the mission goes beyond therapy. We believe in the power of science education through hands-on animal experience. Children in our programs will learn about animal behavior, reproduction, and life cycles by participating directly in the care and socialization of our dogs and their litters. This experiential approach — grounded in real science — builds responsibility, empathy, and curiosity while providing the therapeutic benefits of the human-animal bond. For traumatized youth especially, being trusted with real knowledge and real responsibility is itself a form of healing.

When you need a hand, Healing Paws will provide a paw.