Our story, our teams
PAWS Pet Therapy trains volunteers and their own dogs to bring calm to hospitals, aged care and schools. 570+ teams trained, 62k smiles a year, and counting.
Sharon Stewart
"Little did I know, when I sat down to create a pet therapy course in 2012, that this would become my life. From our humble beginnings, we have since trained over 500 teams, and we deliver over 62,000 smiles to people every year. With a nursing background spanning 30 years, and a pivotal stint with breast cancer in 2008, I feel the stars aligned for me to create PAWS Pet Therapy."
Sharon now lives just outside Bathurst with her husband Russell, their horses, dogs and chooks, and still reads every enquiry herself. Thinking of joining her? Start with the volunteer quiz, or read PAWS stories from over the years.
The PAWS committee
It takes an army of people to keep PAWS running. Meet the committee.
A steadfast supporter since PAWS began in 2012, working alongside his wife, founder Sharon Stewart. Russell brings decades of experience managing staff and complex programs, and is a familiar face at PAWS training and assessment days.
A PAWS supporter for over 10 years. John provided PAWS headquarters with office space in Orangeville, NSW for eight years, and remains hands-on with training days, events and the day-to-day running of PAWS.
Megan joined PAWS with her Labrador, Leona, visiting schools, hospitals, aged care and corporate settings. She won the 2022 Zep Award for Volunteering Excellence and stayed on the committee after Leona's passing in 2024.
David and his rescue dog Bronix have volunteered since 2023, regularly visiting the mental health wards at Campbelltown Hospital, the Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre and Ambarvale High School. Recipient of the 2024 Zep Award for Volunteering Excellence.
Christina joined PAWS in 2018 with her dog Pepper Potts and won the 2021 Zep Award for Volunteering Excellence. She later supported new volunteers through the PAWS office, and now visits aged care with her dog Dave alongside her committee role.
Working hard to keep it all going
Nadine keeps the PAWS office running day to day, the behind-the-scenes work that keeps every volunteer team, training day and enquiry on track.
Pam supports new volunteer teams from first enquiry onward, drawing on a background in event management and animal science. She particularly enjoys connecting with PAWS teams and helping people find their place in the PAWS family.
Every dog is assessed, not just adored
18 months to 8 years
Old enough to be settled, young enough to enjoy the work.
Desexed and vaccinated
Every PAWS dog is desexed and up to date on C7 (or C5) before their first visit.
Calm with strangers
Comfortable in new places, around wheelchairs, beeping machines and big hugs.
The people and dogs behind PAWS
Every handler is police-checked and WWCC-cleared. Meet a few of our current teams, and see how you and your dog could join them.
Some of our team are no longer with us. We remember them, two and four-legged, on our In Loving Memory page.
Could you and your dog be next?
Seven quick questions tell you if you're a match. Training, uniform and a placement near you come with it.
Become a volunteer