LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Return to North Newton High School to Bring Healing after Tragedy

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry has built a meaningful relationship with the students and staff at North Newton JR/SR High School in Morocco, IN, through visits over the past couple of years. In November 2023, the Comfort Dogs were called to provide support after a sophomore's tragic death by suicide. Heartbreakingly, the ministry was recently asked to return following the loss of another student, Grant, who also died by suicide. Both students shared many friends and would have been juniors this year.

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Bethany (Trinity - Danville, Illinois), Caleb (Immanuel - Valparaiso, Indiana), Jael (Trinity - Hobart, Indiana), Magdalene (Cornerstone - Carmel, Indiana), and Michael (LCC Staff), along with their dedicated handlers and ministry partners, responded swiftly to this call, offering comfort and presence to a grieving community. The dogs, with their gentle demeanor and unconditional love, created a space where students and staff could begin processing their loss.

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One handler shared a moving moment:

“One of the students was silently petting Michael for about 10 minutes when he surprised me by looking up and saying, 'He was a good guy.' Alternating between moments of quiet reflection and sharing memories, we spent over an hour together. In that time, his grief began to transform from confusion to a sense of sad acceptance.”

Another handler recounted a heartfelt exchange with one of Grant’s teachers who had stepped into the hallway, overwhelmed with emotion:

“After visiting with the students, I took Magdalene into the hallway to speak with the teacher. She shared that, in her 20 years of teaching, she had never experienced the loss of a student. She was worried about crying in front of her students. I assured her it was okay for them to see her grieve—that it would show how much she cared and that expressing emotions was part of healing. She returned to her class with Magdalene and later thanked me for the encouragement, saying it meant so much that people they didn't even know came to support them.”

The journey of grief is not one that anyone should walk alone. We are grateful to Jesus for sending these LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry teams to be present in the midst of sorrow, offering a source of comfort and strength.

Please join us in praying for Grant's family, friends, teachers, and classmates. May they experience the peace and love of Christ as they navigate this difficult time.

"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace." (Psalm 29:11 )

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