Comfort Dogs return to Crete High School for on-going healing care

As springtime arrives at Crete High School in Nebraska, the hallways still feel heavy. Not as weighty and grief-filled as earlier this school year but the need to heal remains.

School counselor Jay Quinn knew just who to call — the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs.

“Your dogs came to us in an emergency and were a huge part of our immediate relief,” he said. “But we have some on-going healing still happening and wanted the dogs to come back.”

In February, LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry sent seven teams to the school after a junior named Tommy unexpectedly passed away, leaving a sense of loss rippling across every classroom. Tommy had grown up here. He was known, involved, loved. For many students, this was the first time they had ever experienced the death of someone their own age. The handlers and dog stepped into the ache.

This time, K-9 Comfort Dogs Glory (Christ Lutheran – Lincoln, NE), Keren (Immanuel – Ellsworth, KS), and Meshach (Peace – Grand Island, NE), all of whom served before, showed up again to uplift spirits, encourage, and show love to a hurting community.

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The comfort dogs’ presence drew an immediate response.

“Several students literally came running over when they saw that the dogs were back and were full of hugs with the dogs,” a ministry partner with Glory said.

One female student leaned in close to Glory with a whispered message: “You can stay; you can just stay here with me.” The dogs and their teams were offering the kind of hope and courage that students wanted to take home.   

“It was wonderful to see the joy in their faces this time,” a handler for Glory said.

Nearby, Keren and her team also had a wonderful experience to see some of the same students again after the tragedy earlier in the year.

“There was one girl that remembered Keren and sat with her for the entire lunch period,” a Keren handler said. “Another student wanted to know why they couldn't be there every day.”

Many students asked about the other dogs who had visited before.

Crete’s school counselor could see the impact of the K-9 teams’ visit right away.

“There were smiles all around,” Quinn shared. “The students loved the contact with the dogs! Not all kids are willing to share their struggles. But all needed the unconditional love the dogs could bring — to find some positives in their day. LCC provided that.”