“The dogs bring peace and comfort that we cannot”

​When a young man is lost in a tragic accident, the grief weighs heavy. 

The Salem, IN, community knows this sorrow. The past few weeks, the town south of Indianapolis has been shaken by a heartbreaking shooting death of an 8th grader that has created an overwhelming void. 

In late April, K-9 Comfort Dogs Eternity (Cornerstone – Carmel, IN) and Magdalene (Cornerstone – Carmel, IN) visited Salem Middle School, where he a was a student with his half-sister, a 6th grader. 

“It was quite apparent that our team brought comfort and support to many of the students and staff at Salem Middle School,” a handler recalled. From bringing a little relief from the stress of testing to the loss of a beloved classmate, our Comfort Dogs brought much needed respite.  We could sense God's presence as the students interacted with us and our dogs.”

One classmate expressed uneasiness about how he was feeling. He wanted to honor his friend by attending a candlelight vigil, but he wasn’t sure. After laying next to Magdalene for a while, he got up to leave. “I asked him if he would like her on his lap,” one handler shared. “He said that he would and gave her a big hug while his friend took a picture of them. God was indeed present with everyone at the school today.”

The school counselor said in her years at Salem, she had never lost “one of her own.” Students decorated their classmate’s locker and wore his favorite colors of red and black.  

“We were thanked again and again for being there, and one of the counselors said, ‘The dogs bring peace and comfort that we cannot to our staff and students,’” one handler for Magdalene said. “It was truly God at work through our feet and paws on the ground.” 

Another student shared that she has called her classmate’s phone, even though she knows he can’t answer. 

One of Eternity’s handlers said that the dogs did God's work. “There was a constant stream of middle schoolers, teachers, and counselors from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. They waited patiently to take their turns to pet Magdalene and Eternity. The counselors told us the kids just wanted to be with their friends that day, and with our dogs, they came together and everyone was a friend.”

This is so calming, one boy exclaimed, and returned to stroke Eternity’s fur over and again. “I felt like I was seeing God wrapping His arms around them to give them some peace as they try to sort out what happened and their roles in the days ahead.”