Julia Bailey & Mija

Feel the “Mija Love.” That phrase sums up the positive impact Mija, a one-year-old Goldendoodle therapy dog, brings to Shepherd Junior High School. Whether Mija is holding court in a classroom, padding down the hallways, or snuggling with a student who needs some calming therapy, she exudes an affection and tranquility that have ripple effects.

Ms. Julia Bailey, the paraprofessional responsible for bringing Mija to Shepherd and serving as her caretaker, notes that her therapeutic value can be seen in so many different ways. They can walk down the hallway and see children in their classrooms grinning and whispering, “There’s Mija!” She notices when a child or adult is stressed, anxious, or in need of soothing, and she goes to work. That might look like hopping up on the couch with a student and snuggling right up in their lap. Or, it could just mean being a calming presence in the space.

“Mija has changed the entirety of the school,” Julia says emphatically. It is clear to us that Julia’s skill and creativity in making the most of Mija’s abilities are really impressive—they are quite the team. One student who likes to check in regularly with Mija has learned that she can selfregulate with Mija’s help. She’ll ask her teacher to go see Mija, and the change in her energy is palpable. Ms. Bailey even went a step further and made the student a laminated card with Mija’s school picture on it, so she can look at it, and that alone can help calm her, enabling her to carry on with the activity.

Julia notes, “They did a survey, and statistics show that... after the pandemic... stress and tension... everything... was so high. But when there was a dog present or people even knew that there was a dog in the building... everything came down. Scores were higher, testing was higher, just knowing that a dog was in the facility.” We note how remarkable it is that students don’t even need to be directly with Mija to benefit from her presence.

Teachers also love their Mija time, and Julia makes the rounds every morning so that each teacher and administrator who wants one can get a Mija greeting to help start their day with her positive energy. If a teacher is having a tough day, they might pop into Ms. Bailey’s office and ask if they can just sit for a while. Even if they don’t engage with Mija directly, they pick up some of her radiant calming vibes and leave refreshed.

Mija is one smart puppy. She was born at Happy Day Doodles into a litter of four and had to go through training to become a therapy dog. Mija and one of her brothers, now in a nearby school, passed the test. Julia was the driving force behind bringing Mija to Shepherd. She was certain that Mija would be an asset to the school and has also given her so much personal joy. Julia becomes a bit teary when discussing her own relationship with this wonderful Golden Doodle. She lost her own dog several years back after a divorce. Now, she gets to bring Mija to work with her!

Born and raised in Ottawa, Ms. Bailey started working in the school district in 2010. First, she was an aide to a student who used a wheelchair. Her bilingual ability (Spanish and English) was a huge asset since the student’s parents only spoke Spanish. Later, she became a cross-category paraprofessional in the 8th grade, a behavioral para, and now is the 7th-grade cross-category.

Mija was a gift from a private benefactor who paid for her and her training. Now, there is a special program at the United Way ELC called Paw Pals, which buys therapy dogs for schools and pays for the first two years of vet bills and the 18 months of staff training required to work with a therapy dog. It sounds like an amazing program. It’s great to see community organizations stepping in to support effective programs in schools and help replicate them elsewhere. We hope that by spreading the word about this innovative work at Shepherd—our own communities will see the value in having therapy dogs in schools and help spread the “Mija (or insert the name of your therapy dog here) Love!”