A final goodbye to a school home

Three K-9 Comfort Dogs bring encouragement
​to Blessed Savior students, staff as campus closes permanently

As the school year was ending in early June, Principal Paula Dixon found out the South Campus of Blessed Savior Catholic School in Milwaukee, WI, would be closing permanently. 

The last day of school would be the last day for the campus. 

For Blessed Savior’s 187 students and 13 staff, the K4 through 8th grade school was a wonderful home. And for a proper goodbye, Ms. Dixon called on LCC’s K-9 Comfort Dogs to help celebrate and mourn together. ​

Answering the call were K-9 Comfort Dogs Gethsemane (Lord of Glory – Grayslake, IL), Sage (Concordia University Mequon, WI), and Samaria (Shepherd of the Hills – Greenville, WI). 

For many of the students, the school’s closing hadn’t fully sunk it yet. 

“I was surprised how little the students spoke about the closing. They were excited about summer!” one ministry partner for Gethsemane shared. “Many spoke about their family's plans, or what they hoped to do.”

The students made the connection between Gethsemane’s name and the garden on the Mount of Olives. The dogs also brought back memories of pets of the past. 

“One little boy said how much he missed the feeling of his dog's heartbeat at night. That has stayed with me all day,” the ministry partner said. “These dogs are such a special heartbeat of ministry.”
 
Some students shared how they had lost a dog before, and the comfort dogs made them feel calm. 

“Several times Gethsemane would pull toward a child and lean on them and give them extra attention,” a handler for Gethsemane said. “One of those was a little boy who shared he was afraid because his brother’s friend got shot. God used Gethsemane to calm his fears as he just held her and let her love on him.”

Samaria bonded with some of the older students with lap commands. 

“Most had never experienced a dog in their lap and were ecstatic,” Samaria’s handler said. “One of the students who had read about how Goldens make good pets said she made up her mind that only a Golden would do.”

Several students knew the story of the Good Samaritan, from which Samaria gets her name. One younger boy said that if he makes a lot of money when he is older, he would help those who don’t have much to eat and provide meals for them, because of the Jesus’s parable. “The Good Samaritan story impacted that little boy.”