Here at Lake Shore High School, we have a new emotional support dog. His name is Tully, and he is the Dean of Students, William Puvalowski’s dog. Tully is an 11-month-old chocolate lab.

Tully became our support dog at the end of last school year. Puvalowski said, “Tully was chosen to be our therapy dog by me, Dr. Stevens, and Dr. Bross before I even owned him. After I lost my last dog, we talked about getting a school therapy dog and decided to do that at the end of the last school year. We then went through the process of finding a dog and eventually found Tully.”

Tully has had to complete training in order to certify him for his new job as an emotional support dog. He was only 10 weeks old when he started. “He did puppy training and is currently in therapy dog training,” said Puvalowski.

Tully has had a great impact on the students. Principal Janelle Bross said, “I think having Tully in the hallways and in the office has had a great positive impact in a lot of ways. I know that I personally have met more kids this year because they stop by to pet the dog, and we get to chat. I have seen lots of smiles when he walks past, and I know lots of kids that really like getting some dog snuggles on the way to class. And he’s been really helpful for a few kids that have been feeling stressed out or overwhelmed. It’s a good way to get their brains to slow down and reset when they get to pet a dog.”

Tully brings lots of joy to everyone when they see him, “My personal favorite thing about having Tully here is getting to see the smiles he brings to people’s faces,” Bross said.

Next time you see Tully in the halls, make sure to give him lots of love. Also, whenever you are feeling upset, seek Tully for support.