OHS is aiming to create a welcoming and prosperous environment for its students. This environment can influence a student’s comfortability and willingness to learn, both in the classroom and throughout life. 

Along with various programs and developments created to assist students, OHS has recently added a new four-legged friend to the community. 

“The Soar Center is our wellness room, and with it up and running this year, I thought it would be amazing to have a therapy dog that could come in occasionally,” said Tracy Heath, counselor. 

OHS’s therapy dog, Pepper, was rescued when she was young, and now has a home and job that impacts people’s lives. 

“Pepper is a rescue pitbull. I got her in 2019 and they said she was two or three at the time and that she had been previously neglected,” said Amber Murphy, Pepper’s handler. 

Pepper displayed a love for kids and sense of gentleness, which propelled her journey to becoming a therapy dog. 

“I realized just how good she is with my own kids. I have three little boys, and seeing how she was just so calm and not bothered by anything led us to a basic obedience class to get our canine good citizens certificate,” Murphy said. 

Amber and Pepper are making a difference within several different communities and age groups of students. 

“We got our certificates and reached out to Stetson Hills, Sandra Day, and we also go to Vista Peak. So currently we go to three schools a week and we do about two hours at each visit,” Murphy said.

The OHS staff and community is constantly working to develop and strengthen the school environment in a way that responds to students’ needs whatever they may be, and Pepper widens that outreach. 

“I think that, especially at O’Connor, we are holistically trying to make you guys successful, and that is not only academic, but also socially and emotionally. Having all different types of resources like the Soar Center, we have a wellness counselor on campus, we have six school counselors on campus, and then having Pepper is just another resource that kids can utilize,” Heath said.

OHS has a unique opportunity in getting to experience having a therapy dog around, and gets to see Pepper every week. 

“I believe that Sandra Day is the only high school in the district that has a therapy dog,” Heath said. “Pepper comes in once a week, every Thursday during sixth and seventh hour.”

High school is oftentimes a stressful and unpredictable time for students, but Pepper is bringing in a new sense of stability and intentionality. 

“I’ve had a long year, so when they brought Pepper into school, it was like, ’wow’. She’s a pitbull too, and I love pitbulls,” said Alani Fitzpatrick, sophomore. 

There is an extreme importance attributed to the presence of therapy dogs, which is something that has been studied and proven. 

“One of the things most studied in therapy dogs at school is that it reduces anxiety, boosts confidence, and overall just associates learning with fun,” Murphy said. 

As students progress through school, they are able to become more aware of their emotions and the aspects of life that overwhelm them, as well as the aspects that calm them back down again. 

“I feel like therapy dogs are important, especially for some schools, because people can get really overwhelmed and overstimulated, and when it comes to high school, and people, and the work, and the teachers or your grades, it just stresses you out,” Fitzpatrick said. 

Amber and Pepper are continuously searching for ways to assist in the community whenever and wherever they can. 

“We also meet with kids who have anxiety with things: maybe live in a group home, a parent passed away, and things like that to kind of just encourage them to keep coming to school, and give them something to look forward to in the week,” Murphy said. “We also do Ryan’s Rally here every year.”

Due to the intentional time that Amber and Pepper spend at schools, students are able to connect with them and allow their minds to reset and focus on something peaceful. 

“We were in some room and I picked a book that was in there, and Pepper was laying right next to me, and I started reading, and she slowly passed out on my lap. She would literally just sit there and go to sleep to the book. It was adorable,” Fitzpatrick said. 

The OHS community is beginning to witness the benefits and impacts that having a therapy dog on campus can produce. 

“It calms students, everyone smiles when they see Pepper; I think their stress level lowers, teachers now request to have Pepper come into the classroom, and Pepper will sit down in a corner of the room and the kids can go over and pet her, and it’s just a calming effect,” Heath said. 

Amber and Pepper are extremely invested in the work they do, and even pass out coloring pages, stickers, and bookmarks with designs of Pepper for students to enjoy. 

“Amber gets all these stickers, and she pays for it herself,” Heath said. “If any club on campus, honors society, student council, or whatever club needs a fundraiser, it would be awesome if we could fundraise for Pepper so her mom could get us more stickers and coloring sheets and things like that, because she is coming to our school to really help us. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but I know any little bit helps.”

Amber and Pepper are breaking down barriers in a multitude of ways, not only by raising the spirits of people they meet, but also by reconforming stereotypes around pit bulls being aggressive and dangerous. 

“On a totally other level, she’s a pit bull, and there’s a lot of misconceptions about them. I like to say all dogs are individuals. You should never base any dog on their breed, just the same way we shouldn’t base people on what they look like,” Murphy said. 

Although Pepper has an extremely important job, she is also always happy to enjoy some of the luxuries of life. 

“[Pepper] loves car rides, pup cups, cheez-its–any cheese really,” Murphy said. “She does not like thunder and doesn’t like fireworks, but absolutely loves kids.”

Pepper is able to aid students while also being a representation of the importance found in the simple aspects of life. Pepper’s life was changed for the better, and she has everything she needs. 

“Because she was neglected before, I think it’s just kind of like, she’s happy to be here,” Murphy said. “She knows she’s being fed and loved, so there’s not much more she needs to please her.”

Students at OHS are recognizing the impact that Pepper is having on their school days, and continue to look forward to the next time she comes for a visit. 

“Pepper makes us feel better when we are struggling the most. It gives us something to look forward to during the week, because we see her every Thursday,” Fitzpatrick said.