2024 CNN HERO STEPHEN KNIGHT IS TAKING DOGS MATTER NATIONAL — STARTING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

In 2024, many of you watched me be honored as CNN Hero of the Year. You gave because you believed no one should have to choose between getting sober and keeping the pet they love.

Because of you, Dogs Matter has grown into a nationally recognized recovery program that has supported more than 3,500 pets and their people since 2015. Today, more than 70% of our clients reach one year of sobriety. This is far above the national average.

Now we're ready for a new era! This summer, Dogs Matter is launching in Southern California. For more than a decade, we've dreamed of bringing our model beyond Texas so that people across the country can access recovery without leaving their pets behind. Southern California is the first step toward making that vision a reality.

Our story began 15 years ago when someone arrived at my door with a dog named Jayde while trying to enter treatment. I agreed to care for her, and that one decision changed my life. I realized countless people delay or never enter treatment because they have nowhere safe for their pet to go. That's why Dogs Matter exists.

We remove one of the biggest barriers to recovery by ensuring people don't have to choose between healing and their beloved pet. Through temporary foster care, veterinary support, transportation, recovery coaching, crisis support, financial assistance, and our 12-month Aftercare program, we help families stay together while giving people the opportunity to fully focus on recovery.

Today, we've expanded that support even further through Companion Recovery, helping clients move directly into pet-inclusive treatment and sober living whenever possible. By covering insurance premiums, transportation, pet care, and essential recovery needs, we're keeping pets with their people from the very beginning of recovery instead of forcing unnecessary separation.

Southern California is ready and waiting for Dogs Matter.

We're proud to launch alongside Project Street Vet and 2023 CNN Hero, Dr. Kwane Stewart, whose team has spent years providing veterinary care to pet families experiencing homelessness throughout Los Angeles. Together, we're creating a seamless pathway from the streets to treatment, recovery, and long-term stability.

We're grateful to PetSmart Charities, whose $10,000 investment helped make this expansion possible, along with a growing network of Southern California recovery and animal welfare partners who believe every person deserves the chance to heal without leaving their pet behind.

Your gift helps us:

What your gift can do:

The support that helped Dogs Matter grow in Texas is now creating a model that can serve communities across the country.

Southern California is just the beginning. If you believed in this mission when you watched our CNN Hero journey, we're asking you to believe in what's possible next. Together, we can ensure no one has to choose between recovery and the unconditional love waiting at the other end of the leash.

Thank you for helping us take Dogs Matter national.

Check out Stephen Knight's full story on CNN.com.

Dogs Matter is a 501(c)(3) exempt nonprofit organization, EIN 46-2768869.

You can also mail checks to:

Dogs Matter

4347 W. Northwest Hwy.

Ste 130 #118

Dallas, TX 75220