Eileen Scahill

Angel & Friends | Photography 2023

“Angel’s here again!” the middle-school girls squealed as they ran up to their favorite therapy dog. The students were enjoying recess on a sunny fall Friday as they crowded around Angel, eager to stroke the velvety ears and soft white and brindled brown fur of the friendly hound-mix.  

Tail wagging furiously, Angel willingly plopped down on the track encircling the football field at Jones Middle School – belly up – and soaked in their love. So many hands, all over Angel – gently petting her. The girls were all smiling and laughing, enjoying their visit with Angel.  

For a fleeting moment, they weren’t worried about their grades, or their friends or trying to navigate the uncharted waters of puberty. The pressures of school and life were left behind, thanks to this lean and leggy 40-pound rescue mutt who never met a stranger. 

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Angel belongs to my family, but we love sharing her with others. We rescued Angel in July 2020 – during the early days of the global pandemic – after seeing her adorable photo on PetFinder.com. We fell in love with her as soon as we met her.  

As we started training Angel, I knew she would be a terrific therapy dog. We worked hard to earn our certifications through the Alliance for Therapy Dogs and our Canine Good Citizenship through the American Kennel Club.  

Last year I reached out to the school that my 8th-grade son Nick attends to see if we could volunteer there. The principal gave us the green light to visit monthly during outdoor recess, weather permitting.  

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Our most rewarding visits have been with vulnerable middle school students. For many of them, petting Angel is just something fun and different to do on the playground. But for some, it’s much, much more. 

 With these fragile students, we’ll sit together at the guidance counselor’s office, enjoying one-on-one time with Angel. Or we may walk around the track, waiting for students to approach us. On that sunny fall afternoon, one young boy settled on the grass next to Angel, all alone.  

“Thank you for bringing Angel,” the boy in the blue shirt said quietly as he softly stroked her fur. “I have depression, and she really helps me.”  

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Eileen Scahill is a Senior Consultant, Media Relations for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.