TRAVERSE CITY — Joy breaks out when Harper walks the halls of Traverse City East Middle School. The golden retriever therapy dog’s weekly visits unleash unconditional love and cheer into the hearts of students and staff.
“She brings a huge smile to everyone’s face and lets us forget about life for a while,” said school administrative assistant Jamie Schuh, one of Harper’s biggest fans. “She’s loving and gentle and seems to know instinctively who needs loving.”
Harper was born on Valentine’s Day 2018. After retiring from teaching, her handler Marilyn Wheeler desired to continue to support young people.
“I wanted kids to have an outlet with someone who is not judging them,” Wheeler said.
Harper can “win you over in a heartbeat,” she said. But Harper wasn’t always the endearing, engaging pooch she is today.
“She was a demon dog when younger,” Wheeler recalled. Her training and transformation into a therapy dog was both serious and successful.
Wheeler launched Harper’s “career” before moving to Traverse City in 2021. Harper’s training included puppy kindergarten and obedience boot camp. The duo worked with local Alliance of Therapy Dogs trainer Carol Repic to complete the process required for Harper’s therapy dog 2024 certification.
ATD requires that the dog and the handler complete three successful supervised visits in a facility, school, or other public venue where they must successfully interact with strangers in therapy-like settings. Two of these visits take place in a medical facility.
Therapy dog candidates can be any breed, but they must have a calm demeanor and outgoing personality, said Dan Lutchko.
Lutchko operates a Dog Training Elite franchise in Traverse City. He explained that candidates should be at least 1 year old. They need to be friendly and capable of learning how to handle distraction, and be able to refrain from jumping, licking, or mouthing.
Therapy dogs help people manage chronic stress, anxiety and stress. They soothe loneliness, and can enhance motivation, according to Dog Training Elite. Environments where therapy dogs typically visit to provide comfort include hospitals, nursing homes and courts.
Lutchko trained 15 therapy dogs during the past two years. He provides in-home sessions combined with site visits. Certification, as well as training, applies to the dog and handler team.
“As a handler, you need to be patient and okay around crazy or sometimes sad environments, like hospice or memory care,” Lutchko said. “Sometimes, it’s not a comfortable environment. You have to want to help.”
The training process requires a few months or as long as a year, depending on the team said Lutchko. The average cost including the certification fee is $2,800.
With the school year winding down this week, Wheeler and Harper seek to offer emotional care in new settings. Wheeler would like to uplift the spirits of first responders, firefighters and police.
Visit Harper on Instagram to view her community service. Go to instagram.com/harper_thetherapydog_/.