Discover · Network
Canovia does not have to reinvent the wheel. Many are already showing what good shelters, smart training and strong cooperations look like. Here we present those who impress us most.
The organisations and people presented here are not partners of Canovia unless this is explicitly stated. We feature them because they are exceptional. No one has paid to be included.
Shelters
Large, historic, bold or simply consistent: these organisations show what an animal shelter can be.
Europe's largest animal shelter
On around 16 hectares, Tierheim Berlin gGmbH cares for about 1,300 animals every day, with its own veterinary practice, an exotic animal house and an animal welfare farm. It is run by the Berlin Animal Protection Association, where volunteers have been active since 1841. In 2026, they received the "Honorary Award for Volunteering" at the Goldene Henne, Germany's largest audience award.
Matching, not chance
In 1860, Mary Tealby opened a "Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs" in a disused stable yard in north London. Today, Battersea has helped more than three million animals. Every dog gets its own care plan; the team gets to know it and looks specifically for the right home. Dogs that are not suited to family life are, where possible, found a working role.
The heart of the no-kill movement
In a canyon in southern Utah, up to 1,600 animals live on any given day, from dogs and cats to horses and pigs. Best Friends is the largest sanctuary of its kind in the US and is seen as a model for animal welfare in which no adoptable animal is killed.
Rescue for Spain's hunting dogs
In Spain, galgos are traditionally bred for hunting and often abandoned after the season. Galgos del Sol is based in a region with intensive hunting, rescues injured dogs, rehabilitates them over months and rehomes them. The charity was founded by an animal lover who taught herself Spanish to do it.
Trainers and training
We only feature trainers and training organisations that work without pain, fear or punishment and have demonstrably moved their field forward.
Reading the language of dogs
The Norwegian trainer and ethologist coined the term "calming signals": small signals such as yawning, licking or turning away, with which dogs avoid conflict and show stress. Her book "On Talking Terms with Dogs" has taught generations of owners and trainers to look more closely.
The dog has a say
The behaviour consultant founded Domesticated Manners in 2004 and developed the "Bucket Game". In it, the animal itself shows when it is ready, when it needs a break and when it wants to stop. Grooming, vet visits and training become something the dog takes part in willingly.
Assistance dogs for children and adults
For more than 25 years, this non-profit association has trained assistance dogs for children, adolescents and adults with physical or mental impairments. What sets it apart is its holistic approach: person and dog are brought together intensively and supported over years.
The nose as a research instrument
The British organisation trains dogs to recognise diseases by scent and works with research institutions to do so. It also trains assistance dogs that alert people with serious medical conditions in everyday life. Work that shows how much dogs are capable of.
Cooperations
The strongest programmes emerge when animal welfare works together with other fields: justice, schools or research. Two examples that guide Canovia.
Where shelter meets prison
For more than four decades, the first prison-based animal programme in the US has taken dogs from shelters and trained them as service dogs together with incarcerated people. Participants learn pet care, training and office skills to find work more easily after release. Both sides get a second chance.
Dog school and school programmes
With its Dog School, the British animal welfare charity runs a national network of trainers who support owners with courses based on current research, so that behaviour problems do not arise in the first place. It also offers free materials that help children in schools learn how to behave safely around dogs.
Working with Canovia
Canovia is in the concept and development phase. We are looking for shelters, trainers, makers and initiatives that break new ground, as role models on this page and as possible partners for the first centre.
With a concept that does more than house animals.
With animal-friendly methods and their own signature.
With products that meet our criteria.
For programmes around dogs, health and community.
