Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com


According to the Brighton Area Schools’ Pack of Dogs founder and leader, all 14 Brighton “social-emotional-learning" dogs will be visiting the Michigan State University campus this coming Monday.

Karen Storey, who began the program in Brighton several years ago, says the trained therapy dogs will be at the main MSU library from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for students and staff to interact with and get some “canine kisses" and hugs.

Caitlyn Perry Dial of Brighton, who is the director of development at MSU Libraries, says she was “touched when Karen (Storey) reached out” with the offer of bringing the dogs to MSU to comfort the students, faculty, and staff.

Perry Dial said the students, in particular, stand to benefit from interacting with the Pack of Dogs from Brighton. She is hoping that as many as possible come to meet the dogs, and especially BAS alumni who are presently students at MSU. Perry Dial says it’s fitting that the Brighton dogs be there on that day because that is when classes will reopen following the Feb. 13th campus tragedy.

The 14 Brighton Pack of Dogs and a cadre of volunteers will leave Brighton early in the morning and will go to the MSU main library on West Circle Drive, in the center of the campus, in private cars.

Perry Dial says it’s especially rewarding that the Brighton canines will be there because the Brighton Area Schools is one of the first school districts in Michigan to have obtained therapy dogs. In addition - in an apparently unique arrangement - the BAS dogs are owned by the school district and, as far as is known, Brighton has more therapy dogs than any other school district. As she put it, “They sort of led the charge for the Oxford Schools” as the first school district to send therapy dogs to comfort students there after the horrific shootings last year that left four students dead and seven other people injured.

Storey summed it up when she said the trip to East Lansing is a very important assignment: “Our pack with our amazing volunteers are headed to MSU on Monday to help our Spartan Nation heal. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”