“Is he here?” A dozen students filed into OPRF’s Student Activity Center during fifth period lunch, more excited than usual. “Where is Griff?”
OPRF’s newest huskie is not a huskie at all, but a golden retriever. Griff, 1.5 years old, had his first day as OPRF’s facility dog on Dec. 3. Throughout the month, students have been able to meet Griff during their lunch periods.
Griff and handler Ginger Bencola, prevention and wellness coordinator at OPRF, made their way through the crowd and settled into Griff’s enclosure within the student center. A group of students filed in behind the pair, immediately sitting on the floor next to the dog. Griff flipped over onto his back, belly in the air. Four students rubbed his belly at once. He stuck one paw up in the air. His face had a smile.
Shortly before the COVID pandemic, Bencola began coordinating therapy dog visits to the school during finals week and lunch periods for “de-stress with dogs” sessions. This was always popular with students. Bencola said a line of students would snake down the hall and around the corner. “We should do this more often,” students would tell Bencola.
Last year, Bencola partnered with special education teachers Lauren Conway and Claire Downs, and the group wrote a proposal to get the school its very own facility dog. OPRF then applied with Paws Giving Independence (PGI), a nonprofit that trains facility and service dogs in Illinois. Eventually, Griff matched with OPRF, and PGI donated him to the school. Bencola, who earned a graduate certificate in animal-assisted social work from Slippery Rock University in 2024, has been attending weekly training sessions with Griff on Tuesday nights.
“We needed a very outgoing, friendly, affectionate dog. And I don’t think we could have a better fit than Griff,” said Bencola. “He never seems to get tired of meeting more of our students. His tail is always wagging. He rolls over for belly rubs with everyone.”
Not many schools have facility dogs, but there are a few in Illinois that have implemented similar programs. Black labrador retriever Pippin is at Lyons Township, goldendoodle Krieger works at Meadowbrook, and Riverside Brookfield just welcomed golden retriever Harley to its team. In preparation for Griff, D200 leaders reached out to other schools about their experiences with facility dogs. “It was all really positive feedback,” said Kris Johnson, director of student services.
Griff lives with Bencola, and as the two of them walk towards the building every morning, Griff’s tail wags more and more. When Griff wags his tail, his whole body moves. Walking through the hallways at OPRF with Griff, Bencola sees students turn and smile. Students “flock to him,” said Johnson. “He’s Mr. Popularity.”
“You can truly see joy on their faces when they see him, when they interact with him,” said Bencola. “Students have shared with me how much this has brightened their day, changed their experience at school. Students are already saying we should have another dog.
In the future, Griff will visit classrooms by teacher request, and he will be available for students in crisis for “comfort visits.” Johnson said he will also be a great help in special education classrooms, and at Community Integrated Transition Education (CITE), OPRF’s transitional program for students in special education.
In December, Griff already visited one student who had recently experienced a significant loss. Griff immediately went into “comfort mode,” said Bencola. When the student visited, Griff lay at the student’s feet and put its head in their hand. Griff had a gentle, calming presence, and the student told Bencola that Griff had helped a lot.
“All dogs have that intuitive sense,” said Bencola. “But certainly Griff has been trained to know when somebody might need that extra type of support.”
Conway said that she sees students relax and become calmer when they visit Griff. “I have seen such excitement and happiness in this building at a time when we all need it,” said Conway. “He’s an absolute joy.” Conway tries to visit Griff at least once a day.
Sitting in Griff’s enclosure in the Student Activity Center, one student threw a yellow ball in the air. Another squished a neon green alligator toy, making it squeak. Griff still remained on his back, smiling. “He’s part huskie,” said Bencola, kneeling on the floor next to Griff. “A Huskie in his heart.”
