Therapy dogs help Chelsea High School students ease exam stress (with slideshow)

By Lisa Carolin

Students at Chelsea High School have been coping with the stress of finals this week and thanks to a few guests during lunch periods, they’ve gotten a welcome distraction.

Barb and Paul Marshall brought their therapy dogs, 4 1/2-year-old Bella, a black Labrador retriever, and Nugget, a 21-month-old yellow Labrador retriever to simply be there during lunches for anyone who wanted to interact with them.

“Seeing the dogs woke me up in a good way,” said Freshman Adrienne Pinard.

Freshman Mackenna Lamb said she liked how “soft and cuddly” the dogs are, and Freshman Molly Jacobson said seeing them is, “something really happy.”

“Everybody’s under a lot of stress and seeing the dogs helps relieve that,” said Freshman Kyahna Adams.

Barb Marshall says that she’s not surprised by the reaction of the high school students.

“High schoolers just pet and hug the dogs and often talk about their own dogs, while the younger kids have lots of questions and love to lay on the dogs when we visit,” said Marshall. “The dogs love all the hugs and belly rubs they get, no matter the age of the person who is giving them attention.”

This has been a particularly challenging time of year for CHS students following the death of one of their classmates in February. The therapy dogs came to visit during that time as well.

“The dogs are here to help de-stress,” said CHS Principal Mike Kapolka.

Barb Marshall says the feedback about having the dogs visit has all been positive.

“Students said things like, ‘Thank you for just being here today,’ and ‘This is just what I needed today.’” said Marshall. 

“Several students just hugged the dogs and openly cried, while others just sat and petted them and said nothing,” she said, adding, “I felt we provided some solace and comfort to the kids that day and we felt honored to be able to help.”

Both Bella and Nugget were trained at k9homeschooling with Michelle McCarthy. Bella is also the official reading dog at North Creek Elementary school, a R.E.A.D. dog at the Chelsea District Library, and she works at St. Joe’s Chelsea and at several retirement communities. Nugget visits all the places that Bella does and will join the library reading program in June.