Therapy dogs bring calm and joy to students following shooting at
Colorado high school
[October 10, 2026]
By THOMAS PEIPERT and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
EVERGREEN, Colo. (AP) — With wagging tails and kind eyes, the
four-legged staff members at Evergreen High School welcome students each
morning, walk the halls and visit classrooms to offer a loving, calming
presence and moments of joy to a student body still processing a school
shooting.
Norene and Polenta, two golden Labs, joined the high school southwest of
Denver to help students relieve stress and stay focused as they heal
from last year's trauma after a student shot and wounded two of his
peers before shooting himself.
“Every morning after I get off the bus, I have to say hi to these two.
It’s my first thing I do every day,” said Fisher Helbraun, a junior at
Evergreen High School. “Every single time I see one, I always have a
smile on my face. I always get either some puppy kisses or I get some
nice pets.”
Norene, a calm, young dog who loves attention, and Polenta, her spunky
and rambunctious colleague, started at the school in March and August,
respectively. They are part of program run by Canine Companions, a
nonprofit based in California that provides trauma support dogs free of
charge. The dogs are the first to be matched with a school following a
shooting on campus.
The shooting left ‘a lot of sorrow’
In September 2025, a 16-year-old student opened fire with a revolver at
the school during lunch hour, wounding two students before shooting
himself. The suspect later died. Evergreen High School Principal Skyler
Artes sheltered in the main office with students and staff and remained
at the school until the last person had left.
After the shooting “everybody was devastated, a lot of sorrow, a lot of
grief, a lot of uncertainty about how to proceed,” Artes said
Some of the nonprofit’s dogs provided support at a family reunification
site.
Artes decided to train with Canine Companions to be a support dog
handler after seeing the positive impact the animals had on the students
and staff.
The dogs were crowned prince and princess at homecoming
Volunteers with Canine Companions continued to bring dogs to the school
in the days following the shooting, and Artes decided support dogs
should be a permanent presence at the school.
“The fact that they are calm, that they’re generally peaceful and
attentive makes them good at providing that ongoing, consistent, stable
source of support, affection and quiet when people need it most,” she
said.
Even though the dogs are a relatively new presence at the school in the
foothills of the Rocky Mountains, they were crowned prince and princess
at the homecoming football game last week and donned royal capes and
crowns as they paraded through the football field.
“The second that I see them in the hallway, or I go out of my way to
come see them, it just brightens my day, it makes it so much better,”
said Maddie Cornwell, a senior. “That kind of innocent joy and love that
they have to share, they just give it to humans so easily and it just
makes you so happy to see them play and run around.”
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Maddie Cornwell, a senior at Evergreen High School, visits with a
pair of support dogs named Polenta, left, and Noreen at the school
Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
 Artes is Norene’s handler, and
Polenta is assigned to lead counselor Amy Wells, who is also a
volleyball coach and brings Polenta to practices. Wells also
completed the handler training at Canine Companions.
Students make a point to see the dogs daily
The organization starts training support dogs from the time they are
puppies when they start learning dozens of tasks, from following
simple commands like sitting and staying, to more refined skills,
including how to respond to students or teachers going through a
difficult moment. They also learn how to be a stable presence in
areas of the school that could trigger trauma, said Paige Mazzoni,
chief executive of Canine Companions.
“What’s really powerful about dogs in this type of work is that they
have a lot of heart, they have high intelligence, they respond very
well to people and to forming a partnership, and it’s really the
power of the human-canine bond,” she said.
Quinn McEvers, a senior, said she makes it a point to see the dogs
or pet them each school day because it always puts her in a good
mood.
Having “these dogs in the school is amazing because when we have
tests, when there’s a stressful moment, when the weather’s bad,
when, honestly, anything puts our mood kind of down, the dogs are
there,” McEvers said.
“I would think people do a lot better in school when they’re
actually in a good mood or when they’re excited about going to
school,” she added.
Research shows that shootings at schools can lead to lower test
scores and declines in students’ ability to concentrate and focus
but Evergreen saw the opposite, Artes said.
“We saw our AP test scores go up,” she said. “We also had a 100%
graduation rate in a year that was extraordinarily difficult.”
After a dog is assigned to a facility, they stay there for eight to
10 years, when the animal retires.
Artes said she plans to get more support dogs once Norene and
Polenta leave their posts.
“Having a steady presence, an animal that doesn’t really care what’s
going on and loves you anyway,” she said, “that unconditional love
and support, that is valuable no matter what’s going on.”
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Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.
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