LIVONIA (WWJ) — There was a big celebration Wednesday afternoon on the Livonia campus of Schoolcraft College for the school’s Campus Comfort Companions.
Not only did the pack of five chocolate labs celebrate their one-year birthdays, Scout, Copper, Mocha, Starla and Teddy all celebrated another milestone — graduating from “comfort care college.”
The dogs, all born in Canada last January, have spent the last year training to provide peace, comfort and joy to the students and faculty on campus during stressful times, as well as other members of the community.
From visiting classrooms to attending events, the dogs have become an “integral part of the Schoolcraft College community,” according to a school press release.
Campus Police Chief Mark Engstrom told WWJ Newsradio 950’s Tim Pamplin the pups have put in a lot of hard work to be able to achieve their mission.
“Police dogs, we think of them as typically narcotics, bomb-sniffing, gun-sniffing dogs. But instead it’s simply trained on having good manners and being available to people that may be the victim of a crime or going through an emotional episode where a dog in the right setting has an intense calming effect on people,” Engstrom said.
Schoolcraft College President Dr. Glenn Cerny said the Comfort Companions provide a bit of an escape for the campus community.
“It gives our students an ability to breathe. There’s a lot of anxiety in the world and a lot of organized chaos. They love our students, they love our staff, they love our faculty,” he said.
Wednesday’s party featured cupcakes, party hats, photo ops and lots and lots of pets.
You can keep up on the puppies’ journeys on their very own Instagram page.