The formal training of Adrian Public Schools’ five new support dogs will take place over the summer and will be paid for through state grant funding.
ADRIAN, Mich. — Adrian Public Schools is expanding its School Resource Dog Program, adding more support dogs across the district to better assist students and staff.
Currently, the district has only one support dog, Charlie, who rotates between the high school, middle school and four elementary schools. With the program’s expansion, Charlie will now be assigned solely to the high school, while five new support dogs will be introduced to serve the other schools.
The additional support dogs will be at Alexander Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Michener Elementary, Prairie Elementary and Springbrook Middle School.
Officer Joshua Perry, the school resource officer for Adrian Public Schools, emphasized the positive impact of the program.
“We’ve had a great amount of success with children interacting with Charlie, especially those dealing with emotional meltdowns or anxiety,” Perry said. “Seeing how effective it has been, we decided to implement it in each of the other schools.”
The five new support dogs will undergo formal training over the summer, funded by state grants. The training will prepare them not only for emotional support but also for safety duties, including weapon detection. Each dog will be assigned a handler.
“But what makes it unique is having these dogs with the dual purpose of being able to sniff out weapons and be a safety asset, as well as an emotional support dog,” Perry said.
Superintendent Nate Parker expressed enthusiasm about the expansion, saying the district hopes to add even more dogs in the future.
“We’re excited to be able to add this to our district,” Parker said.
Students also welcome the change.
“I definitely think it’s a good thing because I just can’t see any downsides to it,” Nancy Gordon, a junior at Adrian High School said. “Having a wonderful dog on campus just makes everyone’s day brighter.”
The Adrian Public Schools Board of Education is set to hold a first reading on Monday to approve the training funds. If approved, the new support dogs will start appearing in school buildings in the fall of 2025.
“I just think it’s going to be a great thing for our community and for the Adrian Public Schools system,” Perry said.
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