Article by Stephanie Hobby

Photos courtesy of Billings Public Schools 

As the bell rings, masses of students pour into hallways, jostling past each other to get to the next class on time. Layered into this chaos are challenging social dynamics, hormonal changes, more rigorous classwork, and higher academic and behavioral expectations. Middle school can be a rough and deeply lonely experience for many students, but a little help from four-legged friends can make the time easier. 

In the fall of 2024, School Resource Officer Rob Vickery launched what is now a district-wide effort to bring dogs into schools, and with it, a welcome sense of calm to a tumultuous time in life. With district approval, he started bringing his Newfoundland, Indy, to work with him at Medicine Crow and Castle Rock Middle Schools, and Indy quickly became a highlight of many students', teachers', and staff's days. 

In the two years since, other SROs began bringing dogs to school as well, gradually expanding the program until every middle school student in Billings Public Schools had a furry friend roaming the halls throughout the day. This year, Lucy, a black lab with Officer Walker at Riverside Middle School, and "Scout the Potato," a French bulldog with Officer Sparrow at Medicine Crow and Castle Rock Schools, joined the other three official middle school dogs to offer their friendly and comforting presence to all middle schools in the district. Rounding out the roster are yellow lab Targhee with Officer Doll at Lewis and Clark Middle School, Husky mix Aspen with Officer Nienhuis at Ben Steel and Will James Middle Schools, and English Cream Golden Retriever River with Joe Halligan, who visit all district schools. The Billings Career Center is also part-time home to Humphrey, who visits a couple of days a week with Dr. Garcia's approval. 

Joe Halligan, district safety officer, says the dogs can connect with students and sometimes staff in ways that their human handlers cannot. "We are now just the 'guy on the end of the leash.' Our dogs provide a way to connect with students that might not otherwise happen. It is very difficult to be angry, upset, sad, etc. when a dog is present. They just make people feel better," he said. 

At its core, the program gives students and staff an outlet for processing difficult feelings or situations. When emotions are running high, it can be hard for a student to de-escalate enough to connect in a meaningful way with people in positions of authority, but having a wagging tail close by can be enough to make a profound difference. 

"A therapy dog provides a bridge of sorts, to allow us to connect with students who may be struggling," Halligan explained. "The mission, or objective, remains the same: allowing our students an opportunity to process and connect, in a non-threatening way, with our school staff. Our dogs have been that 'way.'" 

The dogs are working therapy animals, but they belong to each of the officers who bring them to school. The officers are responsible for all costs associated with having a dog; there is no funding to help with their expenses, with the exception of River, who is sponsored by a veterinarian in Michigan. The dogs have had various levels of training and experience, but each meets the most important requirement: loving people and other dogs. 

While it's impossible to quantify the effects of having a therapy dog program in Billings middle schools, the impact is real. "It's more of a felt response when the dogs are in the building. For some of our students, they can mean the difference between being successful on any given day, or not," Halligan said, adding that stories of how dogs brought calm to tough situations are widespread and too many to count. "It has been remarkable to watch how a dog can completely change the trajectory of an escalated student." 

Originally printed in the October 2026 issue of Simply Local Magazine

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