“Sometimes in the morning during first hour, it can be hard to be fully up and want to focus in class, but when he is there, it is a lot easier to be more awake and have something to look forward to when coming to school,” explains Berkley sophomore Riley Schnieders when referring to having Yuki the dog in her first hour.
Over this last summer, the Berkley School District Board of Education made big changes to the schools, including 55 new staff members across the district. In addition to these new staff, the Comfort Crew, a group of six dogs that are a part of the district’s emotional health and wellness initiatives, was introduced to the Board of Education. These dogs have all been highly trained, passing the Canine Good Citizen course as well as the Advanced Canine Good Citizen course. Berkley School District Board of Education plans to have all six dogs stay in their assigned classrooms three times a week starting from sometime late September to early October.
Berkley School District is using dogs to support all students for the first time; so where can students find these furry friends when they want to see them? Here is a list of all of the Berkley Schools Comfort Crew dogs, what kind of dog they are, where they can be found, and who their teacher/owner is.
Parker
Type of dog: Golden Retriever
School: Burton
Teacher/owner: Pam Henry
Beatrice
Type of dog: Husky Mix
School: Burton
Teacher/owner: Amanda Brezenski
Korra
Type of dog: Newfoundland
School: BHS and Norup
Teacher/owner: Ben Moy
Yuki
Type of dog: Golden Retriever
School: BHS
Teacher/owner: Tracy Francis
Millie
Type of dog: Labrador
School: BHS
Teacher/owner: Hayley Pawson
Samson
Type of dog: Labrador
School: Anderson
Teacher/owner: Kathy Milla
As far as actually having a dog in class, Mrs. Francis notices that she’s “ Seen a lot more smiles and paying attention in class.” Since all the dogs are still very new to the school, Mrs. Francis says, “I am hoping that it will reduce anxiety for students and that it will bring about an atmosphere where we have community. I think it will help aid the community that we’ve already built.” Even though Mrs. Francis does have her hands full “having to pay attention to the spaces that he’s in,” she says, “It’s been full of joy” having Yuki with her in the classroom.
Mrs. Pawson notices that with her dog Millie, “kids have already shared that they wouldn’t have come to school on certain days, but because [Millie] is there, they have come in.” Mrs. Pawson also points out that, very similar to Mrs. Francis, “I just have to make sure that I take her for a walk during my planning period or maybe during lunch.” Even with this, she says that it’s been “lots of fun” having Millie with her and the rest of the BHS students.
Berkley School District will continue to expand the Comfort Crew and hopefully have furry friends in every Berkley school by the 2025-2026 school year. With Berkeley being very fortunate to have these dogs, will other schools in the future follow this lead with comfort animals?
