If you’ve ever had a really bad day at school, then you know that the best part of that day can be going home to a good, long cuddle with your pet. But what if you didn’t have to wait until four o’clock to get your fluffy animal fix? That’s what Greta’s here for.
Greta is a four-year-old midsize Bernadoodle with a sweet personality and a love for people. She can be found in the Post-Grad Center every Thursday with her owner and handler, counselor Autumn Coppejans.
“I’ve had her since she was nine weeks old,” Coppejans said. “When I got her, I had multiple purposes for her. She would be my dog, but also I always thought about how a dog in the school just really helps kids, especially when they’re having a rough day. And so I’ve always wanted that to happen here.”
However, the path to establishing that program would be harder than expected.
“They didn’t have any dogs in buildings in BVSD when I first started four years ago, and I came from Jeffco where almost every middle school I knew had one,” Coppejans said.
Coppejans had to work with the district to make Boulder Valley School District’s own set of rules before she could bring Greta into Monarch. That process finally concluded last year, allowing Coppejans to launch her program this semester.
“My goal in having her in the Post-Grad Center is to create a fun, enjoyable, lighthearted relief of some of the anxiety we see in our kids, for even just a small second,” Coppejans said.
But before that could happen, Greta had to prepare for the job.
“She has gone through about a year’s worth of therapy certification training,” Coppejans said. “That means she’s got to have certain commands on cue, she needs to be able to go make friends and console people.”
And the work paid off.
“She’s meant to do this. She has the ability to go from person to person without really being prompted to, like, ‘Well, you haven’t met me yet, you haven’t met me,’” Coppejans said.
“It just makes everybody feel important, and it gives them a little bit of extra love,” she said.
“And hopefully, at least brings some sunshine into this school for a day.”