Buddy's Pals bring comfort and wagging tails to Michigan State University
(CBS DETROIT) - A group of comfort dogs are wagging their way through campus to bring comfort to students on this day that marks one year since the mass shooting at Michigan State University.
"It's magic. All I can say is it's magic, and if you see it, you know it, and you feel it," said Lolie Fabela, the founder of Buddy's Pals, a group of pups that provide comfort in schools.
Buddy, her 7-year-old boxer, and his friends visited MSU's campus on Tuesday.
"We come to situations like this, and it's heartbreaking, but we're here with them, and we bring a lot of comfort to the students and the staff and anybody else in the community who needs it," said Fabela.
Buddy and his friends were on campus last year, too. They responded quickly after the mass shooting to help calm students.
"In my mind, even before they said they were going to need dogs, I knew the dogs would need to be present," said Erica Stoll, who brought Stella to campus. "I had no idea when we got there just how important these dogs were going to become," said Erica Stoll, a member of Buddy's Pals.
The comfort dogs take their jobs very seriously. They're trained to be gentle, are naturally friendly, and help those around them feel more at ease.
"You can just pet them and tell them your secrets. They won't tell, they won't judge, they just give love, and that is just what these dogs did a year ago," Stoll said.
Stella and Buddy were joined by Walter and Thunder inside the Eppley Center on campus on Tuesday. The volunteers with Buddy's Pals said you can see a real difference in people after they've had a chance to interact with the dogs.
"We're really happy to be able to be back here to give back," Stoll said. "I may not have gone to Michigan State, but we're Spartans at heart. The gratitude we've seen from students and even faculty has just been so rewarding."