As the Brandon School District continues to strive to meet not only the academic needs but also the varying mental health needs of our students, we are excited to announce our recent partnership with Campus K9s. Campus K9 Inc., is a Michigan-based organization that “strives to improve the lives of school children and their teachers by providing highly trained Social Emotional Learning (SEL) dogs in schools.” As a result of this partnership, each of our four school buildings will add a four-legged member to the Blackhawk family to provide SEL support such as comforting students after an injury or during an anxiety attack, visiting counseling small-group sessions, sitting and reading with students, and more to service our students on a daily basis.
In addition to the mental health support already provided throughout the school district, the addition of therapy dogs to each building will add an additional layer of comfort and well-being to our students while at school. The use of therapy dogs in schools has shown to be beneficial to students in a variety of ways with the most significant impact to those who experience high levels of anxiety and stress. We have been fortunate enough to see the effects of therapy dogs firsthand with our own students thanks to Deputy Woody, who accompanies our School Resource Officer, Deputy Jason Pence, here in the district. Woody is always in high demand and spends most of his time at the high school. Providing a dedicated dog to each school building will allow for consistent, daily support to our students.
The Brandon School District is proud to join a growing network of school districts that already partner Campus K9s for therapy dog services in schools. The Brighton School District was a pioneer in the introduction of labrador retriever therapy dogs almost a decade ago. More recently, school districts such as Clarkston, Waterford, and South Lyon have welcomed many Campus K9 dogs to their schools to support students in a variety of ways through the program.
At this time, we anticipate having two trained therapy dogs in the district full time in the spring of the 2025 school year with another two dogs arriving the following school year. The training for each dog is extensive and expansive. The dogs are not fully released to schools until they are ready, which can range between 14-24 months old; however, the dogs are introduced and receive training at our schools throughout the training period.
This program exists on the generosity of communities like ours that are dedicated to bringing opportunities to help enhance the education and well-being of our students. Campus K9s is a 501(c)(3) organization and it is our goal to provide these dogs to students without cost to the school district. The cost of each dog is $20,000. This Campus K9 link is available for those who would like to make a donation toward the dogs earmarked for Brandon. This link can also be found on our district website and social media accounts.
To learn more about the organization, program, dogs and the impact on students feel free to visit the Campus K9s Website. For questions regarding donations or sponsorship, you can reach out to the Superintendent of Schools, Carly Stone, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 248-627-1800.
