Evergreen High School has crowned two therapy dogs as its first-ever K9 homecoming king and queen, honoring animals that have spent the past year supporting students and staff on the Colorado campus. The announcement comes roughly a year after a shooting rattled the school, a tragedy that first brought comfort dogs onto the grounds in the raw days that followed.
The school's decision to recognize the dogs with homecoming royalty status was reported by CBS News, which described the honor as the first of its kind for the school. The dogs are credited with supporting students and staff throughout the school year, according to the same report.
The canine presence at Evergreen traces back to Sept. 10, 2025, when a 16-year-old student opened fire, shooting two other students before fatally shooting himself; both wounded students survived, according to Rocky Mountain Voice. The outlet reported that emergency room doctor Sue Ryan brought Peppi to the school the very next day.
Comfort Dogs Arrived in the Shooting's Immediate Aftermath
Canine Companions teams and puppy raisers came to Evergreen in the days after the shooting specifically to provide comfort and support, the organization said in a statement posted to its website. The dogs offered an inviting, calming space for students to visit at their own initiative, Canine Companions noted, rather than forcing interaction on anyone still processing the trauma.
Facility Dog Amicus and handler Heather Martin were among the teams that aided Evergreen students in that period, per the same Canine Companions account. That early response appears to have laid the groundwork for the ongoing canine presence that culminated in this year's homecoming recognition.
The approach mirrors a broader pattern across Jeffco Public Schools, where therapy dogs are used to help students regulate their emotions and feel calmer during the school day, according to CBS News Colorado. “The dogs definitely bring a calmer demeanor to any situation,” the station reported, with one student saying the dogs have helped “a lot more calm down” and better control emotions.
Other Jeffco Schools Lean on Dogs Too
At Stony Creek Elementary School, a dog named Duncan works directly with students, the CBS report noted. Social/emotional learning specialist Stephanie Jones also uses her own dogs, Odin and Lily, during therapy sessions with children. Jeffco Public Schools recently recognized both Jones and Michelle Myers for their work with Duncan, Odin and Lily, according to the same account.
Dogs that arrived to soothe a grieving campus have become fixtures woven into the school's daily life and, now, into one of its most visible traditions.
