MARYSVILLE — When Braeden Boyle spotted his new friend the other day, his expression brightened. The lanky freshman bent down and hugged him. They’d spend the next half hour together, walking along the south fence line of Marysville Pilchuck High School where students, staff and volunteers were taking down weathered tributes to classmates shot in the cafeteria Oct. 24.
Like a lot of students, the tragedy hit Braeden hard. Bungee, a 3-year-old English Labrador, could sense that and became his companion.
“You watch him change when he is around that dog,” said Gregg Kuehn, the district’s human resources supervisor who watched their reunion Monday.
Another 21 dogs trained in crisis response fanned out across the Marysville School District in the days after the shooting. Their job is to help survivors and emergency responders relieve stress. They’re what’s known as comfort dogs.
For full article by Eric Stevick, Herald Writer, click here