Northern Colorado comfort dogs to welcome Uvalde students back to school
Children in Uvalde, Texas are just days away from returning to class for the first time since the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School. Students, from kindergarten to high school, are scheduled to return to school the first week of September, four months after a gunman killed more than 20 people in an elementary school. While many students have expressed fear and stress when it comes to returning to the classroom after such a tragedy, a group of volunteers from around the country are bringing their furry friends to help the students feel calm in their schools.
Lutheran Church Charities, a national organization, operated its own "K9 ministry." The church helps fund the care of more than 130 golden retrievers across the United States. Two of them, which live in northern Colorado, will soon be sent to Uvalde for the second time since the shooting in order to help those impacted by the tragedy.
"Cubby," a six-year-old retriever from Redeemer Lutheran in Fort Collins, typically spends her days in places like UCHealth's Medical Center of the Rockies. Cubby, and one of her several handlers, are often found pacing through the halls of the hospital in Loveland. Their purpose is to bring a distraction and sense of joy to both patients and the working staff.
"They really need them. They see the dogs, they see Cubby, and say, 'You made my day.' It brings them that smile when we don't know what kind of day they are having. It is nice to see them have that smile and be joyful when they see us," said Bonnie Fear, crisis response coordinator for LCC's K9 ministries.
Fear is one of the church members who work with Cubby. Cubby is known as a "comfort dog." That means that she is trained to lean into people, show compassion and absorb as many pats and scratches as possible.
In May, shortly after the shooting in Uvalde, Cubby was among the first K9s dispatched to Texas to help.
"We arrived two days after the shooting. We saw a lot of shock, a lot of pain, a lot of 'why?' on their faces," Fear told CBS4.
Within moments of arriving Cubby was at work, comforting both children and parents. Some had been in the school during the shooting, others were simply emotionally traumatized by the proximity of the tragedy.
Fear said it was amazing to watch as people flocked to dogs like Cubby to pet them. Some parents told Fear that their children were hesitant to verbalize their emotions until they were with the dog.
"A dog is so nonjudgmental and unconditionally loves people. And, that is the beauty of our ministry," Fear said.
Recently, the Uvalde School District asked Fear and LCC to return to Uvalde.
Cubby will be one of many dogs that will be positioned outside of eight Uvalde school buildings. They will be assigned to the front doors of the schools to welcome the students back to classes.
Each dog will be assigned an hour or more of the day at one of the schools. The goal is to keep the same dog at the same school throughout the week to serve as a familiar face to the children.
"They'll talk to the dog. They will pet the dog. They will cry. As handlers we just let the dogs do their work. We are very quiet. We listen. We give a hug and cry with them. We smile with them. It is the dog that brings out their emotions," Fear said.
Fear said her peers simply want to help anyone they can, which is why they were so quick to agree to travel to Uvalde to help out children and encourage them to feel safe when they go back to school.
The team plans to be in Texas with a rotation of dogs for at least the first three weeks of classes.
