Dogs pair with school police to support students’ mental health in Garden Grove Unified
Orange County RegisterMay 17, 2022
Kids and dogs. They just go together.
Usually, though, not at school. But in Garden Grove Unified, administrators and local police are bringing trained support dogs onto campuses to help students facing stress or even trauma.
The dogs – Misha and Nellie – were introduced
“We care about your mental health and your well-being,” Superintendent
“We all need a little help along the way to deal with those challenges,” Mafi said.
While the program was officially announced Monday for the district, the dogs have already made an impact at
In the past month or so, they have visited the school following the death of fifth-grader
“Ace was having a rough day. It was his first week back to school after his brother passed,” School Resource Officer
When Ace saw Nellie, an English black Labrador, he stopped “and froze in his tracks,” Link said. Then he got down on his knees next to the dog, who licked his face.
“Then, we talked about ice cream and movies – until he sprung up and said, ‘Thanks. Bye.’”
Since then, the student has been meeting with both dogs once a week.
Other students who said the dogs have already helped them include fifth-graders
“I had a lot of tests and it helped me with a lot of worries,” said Christine, who doesn’t have any pets at home.
Fourth-grader
“It makes me feel better when I hug the dogs,” she said.
The idea behind the program sprung from a conversation Resource School Officer
Julienne got to researching the idea and brought in his colleague, Link, who has worked with police dogs before. To fund the program, Garden Grove Unified created the
Misha, born in
Misha lives with Julienne. Nellie lives with Link. They travel daily to different schools, bringing the dogs with them. Link said they have 50 to 100 encounters a day with students.
There have been sweet moments, such as a meeting with a third grader who hugged Nellie, said she doesn’t like police, then “five minutes later, she said she can’t wait to be a police officer,” Link said. And more serious ones, like helping a teenager who walked off campus recently expressing suicidal thoughts and was calmed after meeting Nellie, who the teenager petted until their mother arrived and the student could be transferred for a medical evaluation.
Julienne and Link, part of the
The Garden Grove Unified program through the
The goal, police and district officials reiterated Monday, is to offer students another level of support.
“We know that if you’re not feeling well emotionally, that it’s tough to focus and do well in school,” Superintendent Mafi said. “We never want students to feel alone.”
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