When Catherine Guy’s doorbell rang, she never expected members of the Ellen DeGeneres show to rush into her house, surprise her with $10,000 and earn her volunteer group, Retrieving Hearts, national recognition — especially since the organization was so young.

Guy founded Retrieving Hearts in 2015 soon after graduating from NC State as a way to fulfill two of her passions: volunteering with children and rescue dogs to bring joy and comfort to people and organizations all over the Triangle. Now, Retrieving Hearts has 10 volunteers, each with their own therapy-certified rescue dog. The group hopes to bring positivity and happiness wherever it visits.

“Our slogan is ‘Bringing love back to life’ because these dogs retrieve so much more than just a tennis ball, they really bring love to everyone they meet,” Guy said.

In college, Guy fostered dogs, volunteered with the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue (NRGRR) and interned at Duke Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House of Durham & Wake. It was her combination of specific volunteer and intern work that pushed her to found Retrieving Hearts.

“We got a lot of very calm dogs through the NRGRR and I kept thinking about how much the kids at the Ronald McDonald House would love them,” Guy said. “I started by reaching out to the rescue group at NRGRR to see if anyone would be interested in taking their dogs to visit with the children, and the response I got was so much more than I was expecting.” 

Before Guy could coordinate the visit with the children at the Ronald McDonald House, the dogs had to get therapy certified, so Guy organized a training class for the volunteers and their dogs before their first visit. On top of being therapy certified, Guy said that the dogs also have to have the right “personality” to be successful therapy dogs.

“They have to be calm and easygoing and they can’t react to loud noises or surprises, like if a kid grabs their tail,” Guy said. “I have a golden retriever named Duke who is therapy certified and he won’t even play fetch. I’ll throw the ball and he’ll just look at me.”

The therapy dogs have to remain calm in many different situations because Guy and her group of volunteers take the dogs to nursing homes, the Ronald McDonald House, Victory Junction, NC State during exam week and Camp G.R.A.C.E., which is a camp for autistic children.

“No matter where we are, there is always a kid that is scared of dogs,” Guy said. “The therapy dogs help them open up and overcome that fear and it’s rewarding to see that reaction change.”

Though the people and organizations that the therapy dogs visit benefit from the presence of the dogs, the dogs themselves also benefit from performing a job and fulfilling a need.

“The visits are great stimulation for the dogs and they are always better after they’ve been out,” Kathleen Serow, a volunteer with Retrieving Hearts, said. “It’s interesting because, as soon as you put the vest on, they know it’s time for work.”

All of the dogs in the group have been adopted and many of them have come from “horrible living situations,” according to Guy. Since most of the dogs did not have an abundance of love and care at their previous homes, the dogs respond positively to the loving attention they receive from children, students and nursing home residents.

Though Guy’s unique organization gained national recognition on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” she has continued leading the group as a small, tightknit volunteer-based organization.

“Without having these volunteers in my group this would never be possible for me,” Guy said. “Each one contributes something amazing and unique. They drive all over the place and they never turn down anything.”

As a thank you for her volunteers, Guy gave each one some of the money she received from “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” — even though she said that it could never repay everything they’ve done for her.

*When she first received the money, she divided it evenly between Retrieving Hearts and the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House used the money to sponsor a room in the house that would cover the cost for families to stay in for the whole year.

The rest of the money is “yet to be determined,” according to Guy. Though Retrieving Hearts is not an official nonprofit now, Guy hopes to one day have the time and resources available to register the organization as a nonprofit and visit more places in and around Raleigh.

“It is really perfect the way it is now,” Guy said. “I know there is a lot of room for improvement, and new members with more therapy dogs would be a plus, but my volunteers now have made this group amazing.”

Guy and her group of volunteers have combined their specific passions of loving animals and serving kids into a unique kind of organization that can’t help but spread positivity, excitement and joy everywhere it goes.

For those interested in volunteering with Retrieving Hearts or want more information on how to get your dog therapy certified, email [email protected].

*Editor’s Note: The article has been changed to clarify that the Ronald McDonald House used money to sponsor a room for families to live in for a for a year.