For the last eight years, Lone Dell Elementary has been graced with the presence of a gentle soul that has been a source of comfort, calm, and joy for students and staff members alike. This presence doesn’t speak, but seems to understand everything.

TJ is a touch therapy dog who accompanies his companion, Brett Walters, to school every day. Mr. Walters is a special education teacher who works with students who have emotional and behavioral disorders. Ever since he was a puppy, TJ has walked the halls with Walters, laying by desks, nudging anxious hands, and sitting quietly with kids who couldn’t express their feelings. To the Lone Dell community, TJ isn’t just a dog; he is family.

“He’s just like another staff member here,” Walters said.

TJ has a special ability. When a student struggles, and frustration leads to tears or silence, he is there. Without being asked, TJ would gently walk over, rest his head on a lap, or offer a doggy kiss of comfort.

“If anybody’s having a meltdown or anything like that, he’s right there,” Walters explained. "He picks up on it. He comes over, licks them, gives them love.”

That sort of love is the exact thing that made him so endearing to students at Lone Dell, year in and year out. Their feelings for TJ go beyond the usual excitement kids have around dogs; it is deeper and more personal. “He helps me when I get angry,” explains Logan, a fifth grader at Lone Dell. Fellow student Aidan echoes that sentiment, “He walks around and cheers people up.” Meanwhile, Vinnie, a third grader, simply adds, “He makes me happy; I love him.”

It is no surprise, but over the years, the Lone Dell community fully embraced TJ. He became an essential part of the school, a furry presence whose job was to care. But this school year, the Lone Dell family received unexpected news - TJ was diagnosed with cancer. After nearly a decade of dedicated service, the beloved therapy dog had to retire.

“They gave us a three-month timeline,” Walters shared. “We have been doing chemo to slow the spread of it.”

Of course, that kind of news was hard for the students to handle. “I don’t know how to feel when I hear that TJ has cancer,” Aidan adds. “It’s just not okay for me.”

Others voiced their desire for more time. “I’m sad and I don’t want him to retire,” Logan said softly. “I wish I could get more time with him.”

To celebrate his legacy, the school threw a parade in TJ’s honor - and everyone in the school cheered him on, and gave him love. Walters knows how much TJ meant to everyone - so, on the last day of school, he and TJ went classroom to classroom, so that the students and staff members could see him one last time. Even amid the sadness of saying goodbye, he remains thankful.

“It will be tough,” Walters said. “But I would totally do it again in a heartbeat because the joy he has brought this school has been amazing.”

TJ’s retirement doesn’t end his story; it begins his legacy. For eight unforgettable years, he served with quiet grace, patience, and unconditional love. The students of Lone Dell will hold onto his memory, and while TJ may no longer walk the halls, his paw prints will remain in every corner of the building and in every heart he touched.