Oak Park and River Forest High School’s Student Activity Center was packed with students of all grade levels on Dec. 4 for one reason: Griff, the year-and-a-half-old golden retriever who is the new facility dog.
Sitting on a white blanket decorated with multicolored paw prints and bones, Griff went around to students, allowing them to interact with and pet him. The room was full of laughter and excited smiles.
Senior Emma Ward said that after meeting Griff, she was, “I think probably the happiest I’ve ever been in a long time. I feel like having a dog here is such a great experience. Not a lot of people get to have this kind of opportunity.” She added, “I’m so happy, and I’m so excited to get to spend the rest of my senior year with this dog.”
Griff was donated to OPRF by Paws Giving Independence, a nonprofit organization. The funds for his care are shared between Ginger Bencola, OPRF’s prevention and wellness coordinator, and OPRF’s student services, according to Bencola.
For the past seven years, Bencola has brought therapy dogs to school during particularly stressful times of the school year, like the end of the semester near finals.
“It just really has become clear to me over the years that just having volunteer dogs come in on an occasional basis wasn’t enough,” said Bencola. “And so if we could have the opportunity to have our own full-time dog here, then the possibilities would really be endless.”
Kris Johnson, OPRF’s director of student services, agreed. “It’s really been a pleasure to support Ms. Bencola,” she said. “She has sought out and completed training on working with animals in a school setting. Griff is going to bring a lot of joy to the student body and will be available on an ongoing basis to students who could benefit from some time with him. We have a lot of ideas about places and spaces where Griff could push in to provide support and comfort to our students. He is just as excited about it as we are!”
Before Griff could come to OPRF, he had to go through extensive training, starting when he was young. Once he was matched with Bencola, the two of them had to go through training together. For this, Bencola would drive to Peoria on Tuesdays and train with Griff for a few hours.
For Griff, training involved learning dozens of different commands for assisting and comforting people, as well as how to remain calm and supportive to people in situations he wasn’t expecting.
Bencola’s training consisted of learning commands for Griff and methods for providing animal-assisted support for students.
Griff arrived at OPRF on Dec. 3 and spent the day becoming acclimated to the school, walking the halls during passing periods.
“The idea that I could see the dog while walking through the halls on my way to class, it just calms my stress,” said sophomore Sophia Ott.
Griff will come to OPRF every day with Bencola, as he lives with her when he’s not at school. He will be in the Student Activity Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Starting next semester, teachers will be able to request visits from Griff, according to Bencola.
For students who are allergic to dogs or have a phobia of dogs, they and their parents can fill out an opt-out form. This means that Griff would be unable to enter any room a student who fills out this form is in, according to Johnson. In addition, staff will give advance warning that Griff is coming and request formal permission before he enters any classroom or space, according to an email sent by Johnson announcing Griff’s arrival to OPRF on Dec. 1.
Overall, Griff has been received positively, according to Johnson. Several students interviewed agreed.
“It’s just such a calming, positive experience,” said sophomore Hannah Mellios. “It’s created an environment that I really like. With finals coming up it’s just such a nice relaxation that we can get out of lunch for a little bit and just be with animals. It’s a really fun experience.”
Bencola made a similar observation. “When I walk down a hall with him or walk into a room with him, everyone’s head turns immediately. Smiles are on everyone’s faces. It’s truly like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”
