A 1-year-old therapy dog in a southwest Michigan high school is providing healing and comfort to students in the aftermath of a devastating tornado that left three dead.
Just days after Duke, a black lab, started working at Union City High School, a tornado struck the town. It was one of four to hit southwest Michigan last Friday, decimating homes and businesses. Four people died in total and 12 were injured.
But even with schools closed until Tuesday and Duke new to his job, he leaned into his new role, making the rounds to comfort residents, volunteers and students with his handler Stacy Guertler, Union City Community Schools’ career and college readiness coordinator.
“It’s incredible that here it is … on his fifth day ― we have something like this happen,” said Guertler, adding that it “was just meant to be.”
Guertler said it’s almost as if he hugs people’s legs.
“He just leans right into you and just almost wraps his body, and I feel like he’s kind of a big dog,” she said, “and he just wraps himself around you, and … he just knows, like, ‘Hey, this person just needs me to be right there for them.'”
Duke, who turns 1 on Sunday, spent much of the weekend at Union City High School, which has been serving as the epicenter of the community’s recovery efforts. He comforted storm victims as they were eating a hot meal, picking up necessities or being connected to resources.
For many, the tornado’s devastation in Union City has hit close to home. Guertler said at least 10 students in Union City Community Schools experienced a death or injury of a family member in the storm ― one family lost their grandmother.
More than 12 students’ homes were damaged or completely lost. Another 25 students were victims of a tornado that hit Branch County in 2024, so the recent storm brings up trauma or anxiety for them.
And at least 75 students’ primary residence was in the path of the storm.
The homes of at least seven staff members in the school district were damaged, and the homes of at least two were completely destroyed, Guertler said.
“We’re all impacted, obviously, when our students, our community is impacted, but some of our staff members had homes that were damaged by the storm,” she said.
Alexzandra Lyons, a senior at the high school, is one student who appreciates Duke’s presence. Even though she wasn’t directly impacted by the storm, her close friend was. Her friend’s home was destroyed, and she and her family are living in temporary housing.
“I’m pretty sure Duke will be such a great impact on her,” she said. “And she’s a big dog person, so … that’s just even better.”
District gets a new therapy dog
Duke isn’t the only therapy dog in Union City Community Schools. Guertler said the school district’s elementary school has a therapy dog named Tracker. He’s been there for at least a year.
Another dog named Sophia Grace visits each of the district’s schools. A social worker spends a day and a half at Union City High School each week, and she brings Sophia Grace with her. The high school’s principal, Amber Case, said students and staff get excited for the days when the dog visits the school.
“Kids who are usually a little down tend to brighten up when she’s around, so we thought, ‘Man, it would be great to have a dog in the building full-time,'” she said.
Union City High School students fundraised around $10,000 to get a therapy dog. Guertler said it cost $7,500 to acquire Duke. The extra money raised will be used to maintain the therapy dog. The school is also in the running for two grants that could help it pay for annual dog expenses.
Guertler said Duke came in and out of the building in February for training purposes, but his first day as a therapy dog in the school was the Monday before the tornado.
She said that on Duke’s fifth day, he “hit the ground running.”
Supporting storm victims, volunteers
Guertler, who has worked for the district for 30 years, said she brought Duke to the high school right after the storm happened last Friday evening and stayed until 10 p.m. on Saturday.
“So we spent the night at the high school, and he’s been a trooper,” she said, adding that Duke has been at the school over 12 hours a day since the storm.
She said the high school sent a statement to the community after the storm saying that it was open for anyone who needed assistance, and some people stopped by the school Friday night to get food or drop off donations.
Over the weekend, families ate, slept and took showers at the school. School staff and volunteers also collected and dispensed donations in the building. Duke was there to be with storm victims and volunteers. Since school resumed, the school’s fieldhouse has been acting as a hub of resources for the community.
Guertler has also brought Duke to Tuttle Road and Prairie Rose Lane, the areas with the worst damage from the Union Lake tornado. He interacted with law enforcement and disaster workers there.
“He’s just done amazing with being with people, like just calm and patient,” Guertler said.
Comforting students and staff
Case, Union City High School’s principal, said that Duke has been in the school’s halls during passing times. He sits or lies down, and students can scratch him.
“Everybody stops and says hi as they walk by,” she said.
On Tuesday, the district provided an opportunity for students to ask for support. Teachers read a statement about the tornado to their classroom, and then students filled out a form where they could request to meet with a counselor individually or in a small group, Guertler said. These “debriefing” groups met that day.
Duke was available for students in the hallway that day and participated in some of the small groups.
The black lab was also at the high school on Monday, when the district held debriefings for staff to help them process the event and prepare for the students’ debriefings the following day.
Case said that Duke still has a “little bit of puppy energy” in him, but is also obedient.
“I think that comfort from a person and comfort from an animal are kind of different things,” she said, “so it’s good to have a variety of resources so that, depending on what works best for each individual, you can offer them support.”
Case said animals are “a little bit more personal and in your face” than another person.
“They’re non-judgmental,” she said. “They’re supportive without being critical.”
Lyons, a senior at the high school, said she and Duke love sitting with each other in his handlers’ offices.
“He’s just a very great dog,” she said. “He loves sitting with people. He loves getting loves from people.”
Lyons, 17, said that as the end of her senior year approaches, she is getting stressed about preparing for tests and college.
“He’s really helping me, like, calm down and not be so stressed,” she said of Duke, “because I’m getting there, loving up on him and just having a break.”
asnabes@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Union City therapy dog gets crash course in healing five days into job
Reporting by Anne Snabes, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
