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Campus Dogs at Northville Public Schools

Promoting Wellness, Connection, and Belonging

At Northville Public Schools, we are committed to the well-being of the whole child. One of the ways we support student social-emotional health and foster a caring school climate is through the use of campus dogs. We are proud to offer two campus dogs models across our district.

Model 1: Visiting Therapy Dogs with Handlers

In this model, certified therapy dog teams—trained dogs accompanied by their professional handlers—visit our school buildings on a scheduled basis. These visits provide students with calming, structured interactions that help reduce stress, support emotional regulation, and offer moments of connection during the school day.

Visiting therapy dogs are an important part of our mental health and wellness initiatives, and their presence is coordinated in collaboration with school staff to best meet the needs of students.

We have twelve visiting Therapy Dogs. Each of these dogs is part of a structured support plan and has received appropriate training to ensure they are safe, responsive, and ready to support students throughout the day. Our therapy dog program is just one of many ways Northville Public Schools is investing in student wellness, mental health, and whole-child development.

Jake the therapy dog sitting in a chair looking at camera
Brulee the therapy dog lying on the floor looking at the camera

Model 2: School-Based SEL Dogs

We are also proud to have School-Based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Dogs that are integrated into daily life in our schools. These specially trained dogs are owned by Northville staff members and are present in the buildings regularly, creating consistent, trusting relationships with students and staff.

SEL Dogs support student emotional regulation, provide comfort during difficult moments, and help build a welcoming, inclusive school environment. Our SEL-certified dogs can serve as a supportive intervention for students requiring additional assistance.

Currently we have four trained SEL Dogs placed in schools.

Meet Our Social Emotional Learning Dogs - they are siblings!

A friendly-looking Labrador retriever sits on a wooden floor, wearing a harness and leash, with a simple background.
Brulee

Age: I was born December 20, 2024
School: Northville High School
Handler: Kate Schultz

A friendly-looking Labrador retriever sits on a wooden floor, wearing a harness and leash, with a simple background.
Jesper

Age: I was born December 20, 2024
School: Hillside Middle School
Handler: Keely Bartel

A friendly-looking Labrador retriever sits on a wooden floor, wearing a harness and leash, with a simple background.
Kane

Age: I was born December 20, 2024
School: Meads Mill Middle School
Handler: Amie Ernst

A friendly-looking Labrador retriever sits on a wooden floor, wearing a harness and leash, with a simple background.
Nick

Age: I was born December 20, 2024
School: Cooke School
Handler: Shannon Litogot

Campus K9's

Campus K9s, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the well-being of students and staff by providing well-trained Social Emotional Learning Dogs to school districts, academies, and universities.

An SEL dog is a special type of service dog bred and trained to provide calm, comfort, and connection in schools.

Donations Needed!

Monetary contributions are appreciated to support our Campus Dogs program and help fund a full-time SEL dog for our elementary schools. You may make individual donations using the following  link:

Click the arrow to visit our donation page.

Corporate Sponsors

We are actively seeking corporate sponsors to support the integration of full-time Campus Dogs into our elementary schools. Sponsorship opportunities are available at various levels. For more information on how your organization can contribute to this initiative, please contact Darby Hoppenstedt at hoppenstedtda@northvilleschools.org.