When Clinton Community Schools experienced a tragedy in September 2021, therapy dogs from Brighton Area Schools visited the district to offer comfort to students and staff. Those visits inspired Clinton High School counselor Heidi Kutzley to explore establishing a permanent therapy dog program for the school.
Working with Karen Storey and 4 Pawz Strong, Heidi helped bring Buddy, a black Labrador Retriever, to Clinton High School. From developing the initial proposal to preparing for Buddy’s arrival, Heidi worked closely with Karen and the organization’s training partners.
Heidi shared the following account of her experience and what bringing Buddy to Clinton has meant to her school community.
In Heidi’s Words
Karen Storey and members of her Brighton Pack of Wellness Dogs offered their services during a tragic situation that impacted our entire Clinton community in Sept of 2021. Duncan, Chevy and a sweet pup from the Pack showed our school community the value and positive impact of having a social emotional dog onsite. Shortly after the visit I contacted Karen and her non-profit 4Pawzstrong about starting the process to secure our own SEL support dog.
Over the next 6 months, Karen and I collaborated on presentations for our school board and superintendent. She was amazing, she provided numerous resources, answered all of the questions that members of our admin or school board had and even offered to attend the school board meeting to help with my presentation. Karen walked us through every aspect of our proposal and I was always amazed at her willingness to meet, answer questions or provide feedback on our presentations or proposals. She walked right alongside us as we developed our plan and shared in every triumph.
In March, our board approved the request and from there Karen helped us secure a sweet black labrador that had actually visited the high school during that September tragedy. Buddy at the time was being trained by Edgar from the Veteran’s Service Organization and I was updated often on Buddy’s training and received pictures to see how much he had grown since September. Being able to learn about his training and how he was progressing was such a valuable piece of the buy-in from our community, I could give regular updates which excited our students, staff and admin.
On June 3rd, 2022 I was notified that Buddy was ready to come home to Clinton. Karen again was there to walk me through the process of becoming Buddy’s handler. I was connected with Edgar and spent a day training with him before the transition and then was connected to the VSO to continue weekly training over the summer.
Karen has continually gone above and beyond, over the past 3 months she has checked in on our progress regularly, provided one-on-one support and training for myself and Buddy as well as continued to be available with any issues or questions that I have had during this transition. She is always a text or call away, which I greatly appreciate. Karen, the trainers and her non-profit are truly invested in the success of our program. The regular check-ins and the support I have received during this process has been an amazing gift not only to myself, but to my students.
Buddy has been attending school for 3 weeks, and he has really stolen everyone’s hearts. The positive impact he has had on so many in such a short time has really been special. A student recently stated, “This was the BEST decision the district ever made. Buddy makes my day better!”
We are forever grateful to Karen, 4PawzStrong and the Veterans Service Organization for their investment in Buddy and helping us to make him a part of our Redwolves family.
Heidi Kutzley
School Counselor, Clinton Community Schools
Learn More About Clinton Community Schools
Buddy’s arrival was part of a larger effort to establish a permanent therapy dog program following the district’s September 2021 tragedy. Learn more about the initial visits from the Brighton Pack of Dogs and how Clinton developed its own program.
Read the story of Clinton Community Schools’ therapy dog program.