On the Encounter, juniors find God’s love in myriad ways. One that may be surprising is on four paws and brings unconditional love and support.
Campus Ministry has always worked on building companionship on Encounters: small groups, cookies, opportunities to get to know others, and unexpectedly, in the past two years, the addition of therapy dogs.
Therapy dogs are specially trained dogs that provide comfort, emotional support, and companionship. They’re different from service dogs, who require a lot more training and help an individual instead of a group, and emotional support animals, who provide support to only their owners.
Greta, Ms. Laura Schick’s dog, and Filson, Ms. Amanda Case’s dog, were the first therapy dogs on an Encounter at Jesuit, joining the October Coed Encounter in 2024. Since then, Greta has attended many Encounters, and Filson has been on two.
Both Greta and Filson are registered therapy dogs. Greta was certified in April of 2023 through the organization Pet Partners. She’s also hypoallergenic, eliminating the concern of people with allergies.
“Greta is a therapy dog so her job is to provide comfort, love, and joy through interacting with anyone in the community who wants to, with me as her handler to help mediate the interaction,” Schick said.
Filson was registered in August of 2024, and has thrived in the Encounter environment
“It’s rewarding to see, specifically on the Encounters, how Filson can give comfort to students who seem like they need it, and he loves it, he just rolls over and shows his belly and seems so happy,” Case said.
Schick first considered bringing Greta on an Encounter with her in April of 2024 when she didn’t know if she could find someone to watch Greta as she coordinated ACE 2.
“I had never thought about her serving on encounters before, until Mr. Clarke suggested bringing her. And then I started thinking, Well, why not? And even though I didn’t end up bringing her on that April Encounter, because my family was able to watch her, it got us thinking, what would it look like to have a therapy animal available [on an Encounter]?” Schick said.
Mr. Clarke and Schick decided that for OCE of the following school year they would try it out.
“At that point, Mr. Clarke did a lot of the legwork in terms of communicating with St. Benedict’s Lodge. Then we checked in with our administration, asking would you support having a therapy animal available on encounters? We put some guidelines in place, of course, to make sure no one has to interact with a therapy animal if they’re not comfortable,” she said. “It was really just about communication and connecting with all of the players involved in making sure that everybody was on the same page.”
Administration was kind enough to allow therapy dogs on the Encounter, emphasizing the requirement for certification and creating boundaries so students would not become uncomfortable or even interact with the dogs if they did not want to. Schick is grateful that Greta has been allowed on Encounters as she has noticed Greta was made for helping others since she adopted her.
“It was pretty obvious to me when I got Greta that she was really people oriented and also that she had a very calm energy about her, mostly because she likes to sleep 22 hours a day,” she said. “Even in situations where other dogs might be uncomfortable, she seemed to really thrive on that human attention.”
The addition of therapy dogs on the Encounters has proven successful, as they’ve brought love, comfort, and joy to the junior retreatants and senior leaders.
“I think the best part of [Greta] being there is just the joy that she brings to everyone and the comfort that she gives people when they’re having a hard time or maybe just need some cuddle time,” senior Lulu Prewitt said.
The dogs have also helped make the Encounter environment less worrisome for incoming juniors getting ready for their Encounter experience.
“The Encounter is kind of secretive,” junior Liem Addis said. “You don’t know all the people there, and on top of that, you’re staying overnight. Greta being there definitely did make things feel more relaxing, she took a chunk of my stress away.”
Mr. Clarke is happy with the environment the dogs create on Encounters and with what they add with their presence on them.
“I think dogs add another dimension of students being able to think about what is important in their lives, and the dogs have a calming atmosphere around them [that adds to Encounters],” Clarke said.
Case has seen the change that Filson’s presence creates as he fosters community and companionship.
“The very first encounter I went on with Filson was probably the biggest difference. I noticed there was a group of young women who specifically came over and would pet him. This group of young women would sit and be with him, and by watching their body language and interactions with one another, it just seemed like they were relaxing because of him,” she said.
Similarly, Greta has truly made an impact on the students going on Encounters.
“There have certainly been times where someone’s been feeling a powerful emotion and asked, ‘Can I just sit with Greta for a little bit?’ I think that the ability of dogs to accept all of us at our face value, for whoever we are in that moment is a really, really powerful gift. I’ve seen that make a big difference for a lot of people,” Schick said.
Prewitt agrees, describing how Greta has made her Encounter experiences better.
“I find sometimes it’s hard to talk through how you’re feeling, and being able to connect on an emotional level with Greta and not have to talk through it, but just be together and be present for one another is really special and something that is very important to me when trying to work through stuff,” she said.
In the chaos of Encounter preparations, with last minute meetings, preparations, and changes occurring while senior and adult leaders get ready for the juniors to arrive, Schick and Greta ended up in a small group together on OCE in 2024.
“Greta definitely changed the dynamic of my small group. She made the space feel safe, and provided comfort to the people in my small group who got emotional while sharing. She made my encounter experience unique and definitely improved it,” current senior Grady Tobecksen said.
Senior Kellyanne Cook was also in a small group with Greta, who made her Encounter experience better.
“Greta made my small group feel comfortable and relaxed. She is a very peaceful and chill dog and made the space feel safer. The best part was petting her and watching her sleep while we discussed. She made my experience much better” she said.
Greta has only been in a small group on OCE 2024. Bringing Greta on Encounters has shown Schick a whole new side of the Encounter, different from her experiences as a coordinator or a small group leader. Case has also loved seeing an alternate side of the Encounter with Filson.
“It’s nice to see that side of the Encounter, because as a coordinator, I’m never out with the students when they’re socializing because I’m always in the meetings with the leaders and so it’s really fun to be able to see a different side of the Encounter that I didn’t often get to experience,” she said.
While it’s fun to have Filson with her, Case finds it hard to manage Filson and be a coordinator, leading Case to hope for more opportunities to go with her only role being watching over Filson.
“The first time I brought him, I was a coordinator, and so it was just hard to manage. Managing my down time and allowing Filson to be with students was really hard, and being able to go and just be a handler for the dog is awesome. I have done that once, and it just made the whole process so much more enjoyable for me, because I wasn’t stressed out about running the Encounter at the same time. If I could do that part more often, just go as a Filson handler, that would be great,” she said.
One interaction with students that Schick and Clarke both remember from OCE ‘24 is when the juniors all took the time to give Greta love and watched her build community.
“In October, there was one moment when everyone was coming back into the main lodge, and [Greta and I] happened to be sitting near the back of the room, so everybody ended up walking by us. I didn’t expect this or plan it, but everyone just ended up just giving her a little pat on the head as they walked by. It kind of just shifted the energy a little bit and brought people together in a really subtle way,” Schick said.
Prewitt, having gone on and led many Encounters as a coadjutor, believes that Greta is key to creating deeper Encounter experiences.
“I was blessed to have her on my Encounter, and I’ve gotten to lead with her a couple times, and I could say with full certainty that she makes Encounters so much better, she’s just a little ball of light and joy. She provides such a calming and safe space for people who need it. I think that’s something that encounters shouldn’t go without,” Prewitt said.
Although not every student benefits from having Filson or Greta there, these dogs have been able to create a safer and more comfortable space for juniors and senior leaders.
“I don’t think everybody needs a dog [on the Encounter], and I imagine that there are people who don’t like dogs, or who are allergic. But I do think that it’s nice to have dogs as an option for students who really do need it. I know a number of students who have been so excited to have them there, and have come home and talked about it. If we’re impacting even just a couple of students, I think it’s worth it,” Case said.
Before going on Encounters, the juniors are informed if a dog is going, and only certified therapy dogs are approved to go.
“What happens right now is that the dog sits in the back, in a dark corner, and people who want to see it come over and sit down and pet it, but I had thought about [students being uncomfortable], that if a dog started barking, and that really unsettled someone that we would have the dog back away or to remain outside,” Clarke said.
Without multitudes of support from Administration and Campus Ministry, dogs wouldn’t be able to come on Encounters.
“We’re very grateful to Mr. Clarke and to our school admin for being supportive of this program. There are many other Jesuit schools who offer retreats like the Encounter, but I think we are among the first (if not the first) to offer therapy animals as part of this ministry – and that only happened because our program and school leaders supported us in getting the program off the ground,” Schick said.
Currently, Greta has been going on whatever Encounters Schick can go on. Filson has gone with Case as many times as they can as well. The goal in the future is to have a therapy animal go on every Encounter to support the junior retreatants and senior leaders, whether that be Greta, Filson, or a different animal altogether.
Having dogs on the Encounter definitely isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay, as everyone finds God and love in different ways. Dogs aren’t the focal point of the Encounter, rather they are there to support students when their feelings overwhelm them.
