Chris Sullivan founded the Paws of GC program; she’s pictured with Logan and Ky.
Submitted photo
Updated 1:00 p.m. Sept. 23: The comedy show fundraiser, originally scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the high school, has been postponed. Check with the GC Paws Facebook page for updates.
GREENFIELD — Though just a puppy, curly-haired Logan is already touching the hearts of Greenfield-Central High School students.
He’s one of the pups in training to become a therapy dog through Greenfield-Central’s Paws of GC program.
Just two weeks ago, a teen who speaks English as a second language was getting frustrated in class, tears forming.
Logan completely turned her day around.
“This guy – at six months old – got up, went with the student and sat the rest of the time,” said Chris Sullivan, Logan’s owner and trainer. “That student said, ‘This is the best day.’”
And that’s just one example of the impact therapy dogs are making in Greenfield’s schools, according to a press release from the school corporation. It seems like every day, the therapy dogs – two fully trained and five just learning – touch the lives of students and staff in one way or another.
“If we loved everyone like the dogs do, the world would be a better place,” Sullivan said. “Every single kid is accepted in the dog world.”
Since a smile is the first reaction to seeing one of the four-legged friends walk into the classroom, it’s no wonder there is a comedic fundraiser coming up to support the program.
HeeHaws for Paws is a family-friendly comedy show scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 at the high school. The G-C ComedySportz High School League and Dave “The King” Wilson – an Indianapolis professional comedian – will be performing.
Chris Sullivan, the founder of the Paws of GC program, is looking forward to the event and is thankful for her community of supporters.
Sullivan is the special education nurse at the high school and became interested in therapy dogs years ago when her own son was a patient at Riley Hospital for Children. Therapy dogs would visit with the family often, and she remembers the overwhelming calm and comfort they brought.
These days, Sullivan is an empty nester and has the time and means to train a therapy dog herself.
She adopted Ky, an Aussiedoodle (half Australian Shepherd, half Poodle). Ky obtained his therapy dog certification at age 2 and began visiting nursing homes, hospitals and schools.
Soon after that, Kaden became a member of the family.
“So now I had two amazing therapy dogs that I was excited to share with people, but then Covid hit and I couldn’t take them anywhere,” she said. “But during Covid, I was offered a position at G-CHS.”’
Once health protocols started to return to normal, she approached then-principal Jason Cary with the idea of bringing therapy dogs into the school.
Cary was cautious at first – he had worked in another school where therapy dogs were not well trained. But it was hard to deny Sullivan’s passion, or turn down Ky and Kaden once he met them.
“We saw the impact of the therapy dogs across the building, and not just with the students. They had a tremendous impact on the staff as well,” Cary said. “They helped with students who were dealing with anxiety, students who were dealing with added stressors, or just kids who were having a bad day. They were such a great addition to the building, and we think that the program will only get better with time.”
Ky and Kaden come in on rotating days because soaking up the emotions of teenagers is exhausting. They also take frequent breaks.
Now that Ky and Kaden are nearing retirement age, Sullivan and her husband began thinking about how to expand the therapy program and make it affordable for those interested in handling dogs as well. They matched their female Poodle with an Australian Shepherd therapy dog from Oregon. In February of 2024, she had eight beautiful puppies.
Their training began immediately. Sullivan would pick each puppy up and tell them they are loved. At three days old – before their eyes were even open – she’d gently hold them on their side and back, then place a thermal pack on them to help with stress.
“We taught them early that a little bit of stress is ok.”
The puppies were temperament-tested at 10 weeks and all tested very well, meaning they would have an outstanding chance of becoming therapy dogs.
“When the puppies were old enough, I was fortunate enough to bring the puppies to school one day per week so that staff could meet them,” Sullivan said. “It was clear early on that there was interest in the puppies and in expanding the therapy dog program. My vision for this expansion was taking shape.”
Kristen Lee-Oliver and Brent Oliver own, handle and train Frank; Dawn and Robert Hanson, Aggie Mae; Kevin and Melissa Rowe, Dougie; and Logan is with the Sullivans.
That makes two therapy dogs at G-CHS (Ky and Kaden), three puppies in training at the high school (Frank, Aggie Mae and Logan); and one puppy who goes to several of the schools (Doug).
Though not part of the Aussiedoodle crowd, another dog in training is Sully, a mixed-breed who is owned, handled and trained by Caitlin Gordon at Greenfield Intermediate School.
“Sully gives acceptance to students who don’t have many friends,” said Gordon, a sixth grade teacher. “He comforts students who are upset. He calms students with anxieties. Plus he puts smiles on the faces of students and adults when he is patrolling the halls.”
It’s clear the Aussiedoodle pups remember the one who whispered words of love all those months ago. Sullivan is greeted with bright eyes and snuggles every time she goes into one of the classrooms for a visit.
G-C Senior Parker Rhodes helps out with Frank, the red Aussiedoodle pup. He’s a cadet teacher for Mr. Oliver, so on the days Frank is visiting, Parker takes him for breaks or removes his vest– meaning he’s “off duty” — to play fetch.
Parker enjoys seeing the reaction of his fellow students as he walks down the hallway with Frank.
“You don’t know what’s going on in peoples’ days– just to see the smile on their faces is super nice to see in the halls,” he said.
English teacher Sarah McKenzie says when a therapy dog visits her classroom, he’ll pick a student to sit by.
“They sense when someone needs a little extra love,” she said.
McKenzie added that she was the recipient of that love herself last year. Even teachers have hard days, and Ky just came up and snuggled in her lap when she needed it.
“It’s an amazing program, and I’m so glad the school has it,” she said.
Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin said the therapy dogs have been helpful to many students and teachers at Greenfield-Central.
“When therapy dogs are properly trained, they are a tremendous asset to students and staff,” he said. “When planning to implement therapy dogs in a school setting, it is important to know where and when to utilize them. We know that a few students do not like dogs, and our handlers need to be aware of this. We also know that therapy dogs have limits on how much interaction they should have in a given day, so the handlers need to be in tune with those limits as well.”
Ideally, school leaders would like to see a therapy dog visit each school at some point during the week. Olin is glad there are puppies in training to be an asset to schools in the future.
“We continue to work with our school leaders in finding the right balance of time for the dogs in each school setting,” Olin said.
And just like Ky and Kaden are set to retire within the next few years, so will Sullivan. She said she is glad there is hope on the horizon for the program to continue.
“The people that have chosen to take (the puppies) are amazing people,” she said. “There are some very capable pups coming up behind Ky and Kaden.”
To learn more about the program, search “Paws of GC” on Facebook.
To attend the upcoming benefit comedy show, tickets are available at the door or in advance at gcmusic.ludus.com/index.php.
Tickets are $10 and children 12 and under get in free. Therapy dogs will also be on hand to meet and greet the public. Proceeds support further training of the dogs.
Those who wish to donate directly to the program can send a check to GCCSC, 110 W. North St., Greenfield with a note that the money is for Paws of GC.
