Parkland Students Honour Therapy Dogs With Page In Yearbook

Strawbridge Studios Inc./AerieYearbook/Twitter

It’s not everyday 14 doggos make it onto the pages of a high school yearbook.

Following the extensive support the dogs provided the surviving students of the Parkland shooting, the yearbook staff of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School felt it only fitting the doggos receive their own – very special – mention.

The school’s staff tweeted photos of the adorable yearbook page from their official twitter account – featuring some very happy girls and boys.

The dogs and their names were listed in the yearbook – with some of them smiling while sporting name tags and bowties – while one cheeky pup can be seen wearing a school lanyard around his neck.

Brought in to help sooth survivors’ anxiety, the dogs were welcomed into the school two weeks after the Valentine’s Day shooting to help them deal with the stress of the massacre which sadly claimed the lives of 17 students and staff.

Following the shooting, there were up to 40 dogs on campus. However the 14 pups that featured in the student yearbook are those who have been supporting students on campus at the school all year.

The therapy dogs accompany students to classes, greet them during lunch breaks and some even wander the hallways simply to interact with students and help lift their spirits.

Yearbook student staff member Caitlynn Tibbetts told BuzzFeed:

Including them was a really good representation of our school and what we have gone through.

Seeing them is something we look forward to every day. These dogs are going to be there until the last of us are gone.

The therapy dogs are the one thing from last year that is permanent and positive.

The professional portraits of the pooches – perfectly mimicked those taken of the students, and twitter users could barely contain their excitement with floods of comments praising staff for the heartwarming tribute.

One twitter use said: “This is incredible and so sweet. I think of you guys at the school and pray one day we have some serious gun control. The students have shown the adults how it’s done.”

With a second sharing:

This is so awesome! The ultimate honor for any therapy dog is knowing he/she made a positive difference in another’s life. So happy to see these wonderful being honored this way!!

While another joked they need to see individual photos of each doggo:

No, no, NO! If you are going to post this i need each individual pic with names so i can adequately ooh and ahh at each one.

The doggo snaps can be found following the last page of the underclassman yearbook photos – and features breeds including a Bernese mountain dog, Golden Retrievers, Labradors and Shih Tzu’s – among others.

If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]

Lee Bennett