BY SHEILA HELMBERGER

Whoever said ‘Happiness is a wet nose and a wagging tail’ may have known what it would be like in a Brainerd school on a day that Rosie or Georgia came to visit.

Rosie, a mini goldendoodle who turned eight in March, belongs to Michelle Brekken, and Georgia, a 10-year-old English Bulldog belongs to Holly Holm. Each dog and its owner are a certified therapy team.

A visit from one of the twosomes to a classroom in the district is a highlight of the school week for students.

Michelle was a middle school social worker in Little Falls. After they became certified, she started bringing Rosie to school with her once a week to spend time in the classrooms there. She would interact with students, some who were struggling, and Michelle noticed the experience was a positive one. “Watching how Rosie and the students connected was pretty cool,” she says.

When Michelle was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, she took time off from her job. She says she retired earlier than she had planned but today she is cancer free. She serves as a member of the Brainerd School Board and visits elementary schools in the Brainerd school district regularly with Rosie.

Their first visits were to Lowell Elementary School and the Lincoln Education Center where Rosie interacted and played games with special needs students. The two spent time in a
special education classroom at Forestview Middle School, and at Riverside Elementary Rosie became her own ‘station’ during station time where students could read to her. This past year
the two made weekly trips to the elementary school in Baxter. A couple of years ago a visit from the mini goldendoodle helped to console a class at the school after their teacher passed away.
“Dogs can kind of take on the emotions of people,” says Michelle. “After that visit she was exhausted, but it was comforting for the students.”

When in the schools Michelle uses the time to talk about being safe with animals and treating them with gentleness and kindness. She has used a slideshow to show students some of Rosie’s favorite things. Michelle talks with students about bad experiences they may have had with other dogs and helps explain it is never OK to pet a dog without first asking the handler.

Michelle says she could have chosen other places to take Rosie once they had their certification, and they did go to a few other places, but she has a soft spot for going into the schools.

“It’s an environment that feels good to me,” she says of the years she spent working in one. It is a good fit for Rosie, too. “She has a little vest. She knows when that goes on, we are going to school. The students find it easy to establish a connection with a dog. They just really feel a sense of calmness when they are around.” 

Holly Holm and Georgia visiting fourth graders at Harrison Elementary School since 2021. 

When Holly adopted Georgia after losing another special dog, she says the two had an attachment from the very beginning. “Georgia was 4 years old when we got her. When we picked her up, she was in rough shape. She was overweight, she had double ear infection,
and she smelled bad, but she was the sweetest thing ever. She was just so chill. I don’t know what her life was like before we got her, but she was very timid and scared of everything. After a while she came out of her shell.

Then I realized that was just her. She was so mellow. Everybody loves her. Then I started to think how cool it would be for me to be able to help other people with her.”

Holly says she has never forgotten how much she hated it when she would have to read aloud in front of the class when she was in school. She wondered if she could make the experience a little easier for students who might feel the same way.

“I thought if I could bring her into these schools and students could read to her, who wouldn’t love to do that? Georgia could help build up their confidence.”

They went through training and became certified as a therapy team. Georgia is also certified as a Canine Good Citizen.

“My favorite part of going to the schools is the first day when we do the meet and greet. The students are so excited. They ask the best questions. We have had students say they practiced
reading at home because they knew they were going to read to Georgia.”

A teacher chooses the students that get to read to Georgia for 15 minutes. They go into a quiet room without distraction. “I tell the students to sit on Georgia’s bed before she does or she’ll probably take all of it,” she says. “Once they are settled in, she will plop down beside
them. Occasionally, she might enjoy a story so much she will relax and nod off. And she is a snorer,” laughs Holly.

“The students absolutely love seeing her. They will yell, ‘Hi Georgia!” across the school yard if they’re outside when we get there.” At the end of the year Holly says she reminds students
that they can read to their own pets at home too, and even if they don’t have a pet, stuffed animals like stories, too. 

Maybe belly rubs and naps should be a part of the day for everyone.

Read more stories in the Fall 2024 Brainerd Public Schools Magazine.