‘Comfort dogs’ are stationed throughout schools in Uvalde Texas to greet elementary children as they return for first school year since May massacre: ‘Scared and nervous’ students didn’t want to get out of cars
- Uvalde students are greeted with comfort dogs as some students step back into school for the first time since they lived through a mass shooting on May 24
- Former students from Robb Elementary School showed up for their first day of class since the massacre where 19 students and 2 teachers died
- The students have been transferred to different schools, after the Robb campus was closed indefinitely and is set to be demolished
- Ten golden retrievers were stationed across all of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District
- The pups will be on school campuses for three weeks to help rid any stress, fear, or anxiety that remains for the forever traumatized children
The children who lived through the Uvalde school shooting started their first school year since the massacre this week. To comfort the traumatized students, 10 golden retrievers were ready to greet them.
Students at schools across the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District are being greeted by ‘comfort dogs’ as they return to class for the fall semester. Many students expressed fear and anxiety about returning to the classroom.
The mass shooting at Robb Elementary School left 19 students and two teachers dead on May 24.
‘I’m so scared and shocked after what happened at my old school, and I’m still scared and nervous,’ Zeke Wyndham, whose fourth grade classroom was down the hall from from those targeted, told CNN on his first day back.
‘I can still hear the gunshots,’ he said.
Robb Elementary been closed since the deadly shooting, and students have been transferred elsewhere.
Students anxiously got out of their cars as 10 golden retrievers recruited from all over the country were present as comfort dogs.
‘There was a lot of hesitancy and anxiety about getting out of the car and going into the school,’ crisis response coordinator Bonnie Fear told CNN.
‘So we placed the dogs outside, and I do believe that did help some of the kids see that dog and go, “OK, well, I’m going to go pet the dog,”‘
Comfort dogs were brought into different Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District campuses to help students returning for the fall school year feel at ease
‘There was a lot of hesitancy and anxiety about getting out of the car and going into the school,’ crisis response coordinator Bonnie Fear told CNN. ‘So we placed the dogs outside, and I do believe that did help some of the kids see that dog and go, “OK, well, I’m going to go pet the dog”‘
Comfort dogs were brought into different Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District campuses to help students returning for the fall school year feel at ease
Students gathered around the dogs that will be present on campuses for three weeks
Fear said the pups were spread out across the schools to soothe any anxiety students might be feeling as they step on campus for the first time since the tragedy.
The comfort dogs were also called in right after the shooting occurred in May.
The dogs were brought in by the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry for the second time this year. The furry pups will be present on campuses for the next three weeks.
Each dog has two handlers that will make sure the pups are greeting students throughout the campus. Some dogs were placed nearby counselors’ offices, while others were stationed in hallways.
‘That will keep changing as the needs arise, as the kids get into their routine, and where the dogs are needed,’ Fear told CNN.
‘Our goal is to be present with those that are hurting and in need, and we show up and just be with them in whatever they’re feeling.’
The school district also presented high-security measures on the first day of classes, including a large police presence, cameras and fencing.
Students anxiously got out of their cars as 10 golden retrievers recruited from all over the country were present as comfort dogs
There are ten dogs that will be spread out across the district. Each dog has two handlers
The dogs were also deployed in May after the shooting first occurred
Some schools have implemented massive security measures, including the installation of tall fences (pictured) and armed security guards
A.J. Martinez showed up at a different school in the Uvalde district on Wednesday after being injured in the May 24 shooting. The gunman had entered his classroom and killed his two teachers and 19 classmates.
Martinez was able to dive under backpacks to hide but was hit by a bullet in his leg.
‘Yeah I’m nervous,’ he told CNN while wearing a shirt with photos of his teachers and classmates that died. His shirt read: ‘My teachers and classmates forever.’
His mom expressed her fears as she dropped him off.
‘I’m just scared – worried for my kids and all the teachers and the students that are coming back,’ Kassandra Chavez told CNN.
Martinez carries the disturbing memories of the deadly shooting in his head. A family member said he tells his mom that he hates the gunman and what he did to his friends and teachers.
Experts say being around dogs boosts positive chemicals in the brain, reduces blood pressure and helps relieve stress.
Dr. Jane Manno, a psychiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic, says walking, petting or even just sitting with dogs helps boost serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain — lifting someone’s mood.
Dr Jane Manno, a psychiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic, spoke about the benefits of having a dog
A number of studies have highlighted how keeping a dog can enhance someone’s health and improve their mood. About one in three American households — or 48 million — are home to a dog, figures suggest.
‘Just physically being around animals releases some positive neurotransmitters in the brain.
‘Studies have shown serotonin and dopamine [are released], so there’s a biological component. It decreases blood pressure, it decreases the stress hormone cortisol.’
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