Spring is the busiest and most stressful time of year for KO students as we balance endless time-consuming assignments, exciting games and matches, and the aggravating prep for AP exams and finals, all while getting ready for the end of the year and commencement. With everything going on, it can be hard to manage our feelings and care for ourselves in a meaningful way. It definitely helps to destress and cool down with a furry friend around campus every once in a while.
One highlight about KO is that dogs are always welcome. Most students won’t go more than a day without saying hi to happy-go-lucky Dante on their way to English class or seeing the walking white fluffball Yuki roam around College Counseling. Although these dogs continue to brighten our days, they serve a greater purpose as well. KO’s dogs are a key factor in helping students and faculty cope with stress during the busiest time of year. Although multiple faculty members bring their dogs in, we will focus on Ricky, Trixie, Dante, and Captain, and their roles in the KO community.
Science teacher and Form Four Dean Alexa Tzanova enjoys bringing her two dogs, Ricky and Trixie to school. Trixie is a 6 year old, excitable lab foxhound mix with a heart of gold, but not much of a brain. Her vibrant, caring, and silly personality often brightens the day for Dr. T’s students. Three year old Ricky is mainly a boxer, but contains a mix of almost 15 other breeds in his DNA as well. A more relaxed and mellow soul, Ricky is always calm, collected, and mature. The two incredibly different personalities add so much joy to the teaching environment. “It’s interesting how they’re absolutely polar opposites,” Dr. T. said. “One is the Energizer Bunny, and the other one just, you know, if he could sleep all day, he would.”
Dr. T.’s dogs don’t just share their colorful and entertaining personalities in the classroom; Ricky and Trixie are key assets of the KO community when it comes to supporting mental health. There are many times when students become more relaxed because of the presence of a dog. Although Dr. T. tries not to make her dogs a distraction from her teaching and the learning environment, it feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off of the students once they see Ricky and Trixie in the room.
As a form dean, Dr. T. often has to have difficult conversations with her students, and it comforts the student and makes those discussions easier when Ricky and Trixie are nearby, ready to comfort them. “Ricky tends to pick up on people being stressed out, so he comes and comforts people, which is really sweet of him,” Dr. T. said. Because Dr. T’s dogs are able to recognize when students need love, the classroom environment feels more open and relaxing.
Similarly to Ricky and Trixie, Dante can put a smile on anyone’s face. Let’s meet Dante, English teacher Megan Hilliard’s fuzzy, black goldendoodle. As a trained therapy dog and a go-to stress reliever for Ms. Hilliard and her students, he is always ready to make someone’s day. Some of his favorite activities include chewing his toys underneath the classroom table, going bonkers around tennis balls, and wandering the halls, making sure everyone is okay. Dante’s calm, collected, and protective nature makes him the perfect pet.
Dante is so much more than his goofy personality, positively impacting Ms. Hilliard and other members of the KO community. “He’s a trained emotional support animal,” Ms. Hilliard said. “That’s kind of what he’s used to and what he’s been trained to do, so I think he’s been really helpful for kids who get overwhelmed or stressed.” There are always many kids relaxing in Ms. Hilliard’s class and petting Dante. Freshman Janna Haxhaj said she always enjoys spending time with Dante. “If I go in to get a snack, I’ll go in and pet the dog,” she said. “It will calm me down.”
Dante is exceptionally great at supporting people during these busy times because of his training as an emotional support animal. “He’ll come lay right next to you, and he will put his head on your shoulder and wait for your heartbeat to go down,” Ms. Hilliard explained. “He’ll listen and just chill with you until you’ve relaxed. He’s very good at detecting when somebody needs a little bit of extra love and attention.”
Dante brings so much joy and comfort to the KO community, and the same is true for math teacher Kristen Valenti’s friendly and energetic dog, Captain. Captain is a lovable, yet stubborn black lab hound mix that Ms. Valenti adopted from Alabama. Captain is always ready to snuggle up and collect pets from anyone he sees, and his warm and caring personality can bring people together. “There are some kids, especially in the beginning of the year that maybe I hadn’t connected with at first, but then I saw the way that they were with Captain,” Ms. Valenti said. “And so that helps open up the door to conversations with the kids that maybe you wouldn’t talk to as much.”
Although Captain seems like a well-behaved pal, he can sometimes show his stubborn and silly side. “The morning classes know that he can take time to settle down,” Ms. Valenti said. “He gets here, and he’s very excited and hyper. And usually, since he’s a hound, he really likes to use his voice. He does this like bark/cry when he wants something.” Captain’s strong-willed personality can lighten the mood in any classroom environment.
Ms. Valenti strongly believes that animals should be treated right, which is why she prefers to spend time with Captain at school, rather than leaving him home alone all day. “I feel like you miss out on a big part of their lives,” Ms. Valenti said. She enjoys building connections with her students through Captain, and Captain loves being at school. The KO students definitely can turn their days around by giving Captain his much deserved love. “I love this dog,” Janna said. “I’ll just go on the floor and lay next to him, and he will just lay on me.”
All four of these dogs bring something different to the KO community, but each and every fluffy furball is there to put a smile on the faces of every student, teacher, and faculty member. Whether it’s playing fetch with Dante outside of Tomasso, or cuddling with Ricky in Dr. T’s classroom, KO’s trusty dogs can help with stress and ensure stronger mental health for everyone. These dogs not only make the school environment more enjoyable for everyone, but they also have a more significant impact on our stress levels at KO. These dogs have shown that a little bit of fluff can make this stressful time a whole lot less ruff.
