Today, HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response, a national nonprofit, brought three specially-trained dogs to three Griffin-Spalding County Schools (GSCS). The purpose was to provide comfort and encouragement to students affected by the tornadoes that hit the community on Thursday, January 12. FEMA connected GSCS with the non-profit that provided the comfort dog experience.
Dogs Maverick, Oliver and Cooper, along with their handlers, traveled from across the state and country to bring smiles to the student’s faces at Atkinson Elementary, Jordan Hill Elementary and Moore Elementary.
Small groups of excited students rotated in to meet each of the three dogs in the school’s media centers. Students brushed their hands against the dogs' soft fur coats, giggled when the dogs rolled onto their bellies and were amazed when the dogs would let them shake their paws.
GSCS Student Support Services Director Dr. Lisa Moore stated, “Many, if not most, of our students are still dealing with the stress of the recent tornado disaster. Having the dogs visit the schools allowed for a sense of comfort to our students. The dogs were very calm and they gave our students the opportunity to change their focus and relieve some of their stress about the aftermath of the storm. I think this was a great opportunity for our students and staff members alike.”
HOPE’S mission is to provide comfort and encouragement through animal-assisted support to individuals affected by crises and disasters. HOPE works with a number of agencies including FEMA, Salvation Army and the American Red Cross which will request the help of the teams to assist in crisis situations. The help is completely voluntary. The teams are not paid. HOPE is a non-profit and accepts donations to offset costs when it can. You can learn more about HOPE at https://www.hopeaacr.org/.