Bailey the comfort dog now on call for McHenry High students

As longtime owners of golden retrievers, Gary and Cheryl Myers knew the breed’s temperament makes for an excellent comfort dog.

Cheryl Myers also spent a year working on a project looking at the benefits of comfort dogs in a classroom setting. So when it was time to get a new dog, they bought Bailey, and found a trainer for her.

Bailey, now a nearly 3-year-old pup, is a goldendoodle – a mix between golden retriever and a poodle. Because of the poodle side of her mix, Bailey is hypoallergenic. She is also now spending time at McHenry High School, where her pet parents both work.

“It just melts my heart” when she sees students interact with Bailey, Cheryl Myers said.

She is the head librarian for both the Freshman and Upper Campuses for McHenry High School District 156, but is more often at the Upper Campus. Gary Myers is a counselor for the schools who now works with the senior class. Next year, he will start with a new group of freshmen and remain their counselor through their senior years too.

The adjusted learning students – those not in mainstream education classes – come to the library once a week. Cheryl Myers said she sees how those students open up to the dog in ways they might not with adults or classmates.

One student, who was “freaked out by dogs” and who doesn’t go near animals on trips to a therapy farm, has slowly gotten used to Bailey, she said.

“She made her way over to Bailey in one class, and by the end of the class, pet her once. The next time she pet her right away. The following week she asked me where Bailey was,” Cheryl Myers said.

The Myers family has the school board’s approval for Bailey and having her in the school. They worked with trainer Adria Maczka of Better Bond Dog Training – a former student of theirs – to get her ready to meet with students.

The Myerses and Bailey met with Maczka weekly over three months, and worked with Bailey one-on-one in between to get her certified as a therapy dog. Some of that training included taking Bailey to downtown Crystal Lake last summer, getting her used to being around crowds.

“We went to Veteran Acres Park a lot to be around people, sounds and children,” Gary Myers said.

They’d walk with her around the summer farmers markets and the Crystal Lake Metra Station too.

“That enhanced the work we did with the trainer, reinforcing those sessions to get her used to being around groups of people. The businesses in downtown Crystal Lake that put dog bowls out or allow dogs in their shops - that was a wonderful training area down there,” he said.

Bailey’s first day in school was Oct. 29 and since then has been at the school at least a dozen times since, including in the days leading up to final exams. She was also joined by Oakley, the McHenry Police Department’s therapy dog.

The two dogs “were fantastic together. They sat next to each other and let the kids pet them. Oakley laid down and Bailey laid down next to her,” Gary Myers said.

Being a therapy dog takes a lot out of Bailey, so many of the visits have been half days as they work towards full days. The plan after about March 1 – when the weather is better and outdoor bathroom breaks not as cold – is having her at the school on a weekly basis.

When Bailey is there, teachers may send students to visit her when they need a break in their day.

“Instead of a hall pass, they get a dog pass,” Cheryl Myers said.