Therapy Dogs Offer Hope in Nashville

Comfort That Doesn’t Require Words

Nearly three years after the tragic shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School, healing remains a daily process for survivors. For many of the children and families affected, comfort has come not from speeches or counseling sessions alone, but from something quieter — the steady presence of therapy dogs.

At a recent awards ceremony in Nashville, one such dog, Sgt. Bo, received national recognition as the American Humane Society’s 2025 Hero Dog. Bo belongs to retired Nashville police officer Faye Okert, who never imagined her “scruffy mutt” would become a source of solace for grieving children.

Showing Up When It Matters Most

In March 2023, after a gunman killed three children and three adults at the private Christian school, Bo was among the therapy dogs brought in to help comfort students in the immediate aftermath. He wasn’t trained for tactical response — his role was simply to be there.

“He took the attention away from what was going on,” Okert said. “And he was amazing.”

Bo and other dogs from the nonprofit Comfort Connections returned not just in the days following the shooting, but week after week, offering consistency during a time when everything else felt uncertain.

A Safe Way to Feel Again

Children who survived the shooting told CBS News that returning to school was terrifying. Many said they didn’t feel safe — until the dogs arrived.

“I could just see them or pet them,” one child said, “and it would calm me down immediately.”

For Eleanor Dieckhaus, who lost her 9-year-old sister Evelyn in the shooting, the dogs offered something deeply personal. She struggled to cry in front of people — but not with them.

“They can take your tears,” she said. “Sometimes the greatest form of hope can come from a dog that just sits there and lets you pet them.”