Therapy dogs are bringing joy and comfort to students since SHHS reopened April 3 following a fatal shooting at the main library.
Therapy dogs from the Crisis Response Canines team, the Sit Means Sit Therapy Dog Training Program and University Hospitals have visited the high school and IC several times. They and their handlers interact with students and staff in the halls and in classrooms.
Junior Bernat Corcelles Huerta said golden retrievers came into his classroom twice. “They definitely made school feel more comforting to me. I don’t have a big dog, but they were very cute,” Corcelles Huerta said.
CRC is a non-profit organization of certified K-9 teams dedicated to comforting those affected by crisis events. Their goal is to create a network of support dogs nationwide.
Sit Means Sit is a dog training program that has a group of trained therapy dogs. They are partnered with K-9 Caring Angels to have a group of dogs that make a positive impact at schools and work environments.
UH has therapy dogs as part of their Pet Pals program that involves trained volunteers and adult dogs to give support to children.
Junior Cassie Lyles appreciated the dogs at SHHS. “It was very therapeutic,” she said. “Immediate joy when I saw those dogs.”
Handlers gave students and staff copies of dogs’ cards, which resemble baseball cards. The cards feature photos of the dogs on the front and facts about them, such as their breed, birthday and favorite things, on the back.
One Sit Means Sit dog, Rosie, is a Shih Tzu that enjoys going for walks, meeting new people and going shopping at pet friendly stores.
Sophomore Cameron Mayhugh said he met two of the dogs. “I had an interaction with two different therapy dogs; one was really small and really cute, and
another one had a pink tail,” Mayhugh said.
Junior Taylor Boland said the dogs were a nice surprise. “They definitely felt very comforting during such a stressful time. I liked the [one with the] blue tail the most,” Boland said. “It made me actually optimistic about my day.”
Vijaya Sadler and Daniel Carroll contributed reporting.
