WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - Mindy is a celebrity at an Ypsilanti-area elementary school.
As she approached the playground on a Thursday afternoon, students at Brick Elementary School came running and screaming with excitement. Abandoning play structures and interrupting games, the elementary schoolers all wanted a chance to greet the 3-year-old, reddish-furred golden retriever.
She's Brick Elementary's new therapy dog, brought to the school through her handler Principal Cassandra Coker, and tireless fundraising, bake sales and dances by the elementary school's student council.
At home, Coker said, Mindy is energetic and playful. The moment she hops in the car to head to school Mindy becomes cool, calm and collected – a necessity for her job at Brick Elementary.
The district purchased the therapy dog from Joshua Perry, a school resource officer in Adrian Public Schools who runs a side business training dogs for schools, Coker said. Mindy was carefully chosen to fit the elementary school's specific needs, she said, and was specially trained from this past spring through the summer.
"We have students from trauma so we needed a dog that was going to be non-threatening and loving."
Besides getting pets and hugs from dozens of students at once, Mindy works with students in a variety of ways. Each morning, she greets students at the door and says goodbye as they leave. Children can read to her or spend time with her as a reward for good behavior as well as to calm students experiencing anxiety, stress or trauma.
"We had a little guy that came in crying," Coker said. "Something had happened at his house over the weekend and so they laid on the floor together and just kind of cuddled for about 10 minutes before he went to class."
Mindy has assisted with fire drills by calming students on the spectrum who have a hard time coming back in afterwards, Coker said.
She can also accompany staff on crisis calls – meaning situations where a student is unsafe to themselves or others. Coker said this could be a student having a meltdown, being somewhat aggressive or having "big emotions."
"She'll go right in and you can almost see them deflate when they see her," Coker said. "It's just this calming piece that she brings to it."
Coker's background is in special education. She has often looked into different therapies that work for her students, especially ones that have higher needs.
Therapy dogs are shown to have a positive effect on students by providing emotional comfort and fostering a sense of calmness, according to research cited in a letter Coker sent to Lincoln's school board – which approved the program in April. The dogs can lower the release of cortisol, which causes stress and anxiety, and elicit the release of endorphins and oxytocin – hormones associated with joy and happiness.
It's estimated that Mindy's food, vet bills and other expenses will be $500 to $700 per year, Coker said, which will be secured through continued fundraising.
Harper Lehto, 9, was one of the student council representatives behind raising more than $5,000 to pay for Mindy and her training.
"She was really cute and she was really fluffy and I was happy that we raised money for her," Harper said, recalling when she met Mindy.
Mindy first came to meet students at the end of last school year. A school-wide cutest pet contest and fundraiser was underway, and students turned in photos of their pets to be voted on. What students didn't know is that Mindy was in the contest.
Mindy was named the winner and made a surprise debut to the elementary schoolers, according to Coker.
Fundraising for Mindy united the school, Coker said, and she continues to bring the community together.
"They all come together for her," she said. "It's a big deal when she comes down the hall, like you can see them almost changed their behavior in the hallway. She means – already – a lot to them."
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