Bringing peace amid “raw, unresolved pain”

3 Ohio K-9 Comfort Dog team visit school after student’s tragic death 

When a shocking, unsettling tragedy takes the life of a student, it’s not just a school community that hurts. A whole community aches, wrestling with what happened, why, and what comes next. 

Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights, OH, knows that kind of anguish. In late April, the campus lost an 18-year-old girl suddenly, leaving students, staff, administrators, parents, and town residents fearful, frustrated, and stricken with grief. Local media called it “raw, unresolved pain.”

Into that overwhelming sorrow and restlessness, LCC’s three Ohio-based K-9 Comfort Dog teams simply showed up, offering a sense of peace, hope, and love to a campus still numb and questioning. 

With daily visits Monday through Thursday at the school’s media center and a few classrooms, Damascus (St. Paul – Napoleon, OH), Honey (St. Paul – Westlake, OH), Saul (Bethany – Parma, OH) and their handlers met students and teachers with hugs, prayers, and quiet moments — just what was needed to work through the emotional toll. 

On the first day, Valley Forge counselors took the K-9 teams into classrooms to encourage classmates of the girl who had passed away. One of her tablemates, a young man just sat still, wary and slow to engage. One of the counselors sat down beside him as the K-9s offered a cold-nose hello to two girls who were sitting nearby. 

One knew her, but they weren’t really friends. The other had a casual connection with the girl at school only, not anywhere else. They said little as they pet Saul. After a while, the tears came and they reached out to one another in an embrace.

Two days later in the school’s media center, all three students sat down with the dogs to unpack their feelings even more. They were a bridge, counselors acknowledged — from personal pain to public peace. A long road still lay ahead, but these furry comforters had opened them up. Processing the trauma and distress seemed possible now.

For Team Honey, the sense of time was powerful. “It struck me how long some of the students just sat, not necessarily seeming to want to talk. But to just be,” one handler shared.

“This made my day,” one student told them. Peace and stillness were a welcome distraction.  

When other students asked about how Honey got her name, the team was eager to share her Bible verse from Psalm 119:103 — “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” 

God’s Word stands as truth and hope — and it never withers or fades.

Saul’s team also had a chance to turn to Scripture with two young women, relating the Acts account of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. “One student knew nothing about the Bible,” a handler recalled. “I love it when God opens doors to talk about His love, especially in a public school! We were able to explain Saul's Bible verse and share the Good News. God is so good!” 

The week’s interactions seemed to open doors to future visits. Saul, who lives in Parma, will make weekly visits through the end of the schoolyear, and Valley Forge officials are discussing having a staff-only visit after the semester ends.

In the fall, Saul also may get to make even more visits. 

A snapshot of the impact on the community can be seen in social media. On comments to Saul’s Facebook account, community members shared about how needed the outreach was. ​

LCC thanks the following volunteers for serving the hurting community during a difficult, tense time:

Team Damascus
Cathy Brubaker 
Bernice Germann 
Paula Harms
Carol Marcis

Team Honey
Kristin Anchulis 
Audri Colston
Gail Gajewski 
Shelli Gettinger 
Sharlene Marty

Team Saul
Jean Bair 
Sue Boerger 
Bert Eggelmeyer
Tina Fandrich
Annemarie Frye
Sandy Hill
Mary Kaman
Ingrid Lewis
Diane Spacek