Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Pendleton holds the leash of her dog Starlight as Starlight is sworn in as the new Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. therapy dog by Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane at Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School in Hope, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023.
By his own admission, Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane never thought he’d be administering an oath of office to a four-legged, fluffy individual who had to dip her paw in ink to provide a signature.
However, the sheriff said that Starlight — a miniature Australian shepherd and certified therapy dog — will be a “tremendous asset” to the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp., the sheriff’s department and all of Bartholomew County.
“Adding this resource, especially in today’s world, I think is very important,” Lane said during a special ceremony at Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School on Tuesday afternoon as he led the ceremony to swear Starlight into service.
According to her oath of office, Starlight has been appointed as Bartholomew County’s therapy canine and will provide employees of the sheriff’s office, Flat Rock-Hawcreek students and staff, and the Bartholomew County community at large with “ongoing love and support.”
She also promised to utilize her “ongoing training, obedience ability and cute, puppy-dog eyes” to perform these duties, Lane said.
Starlight began coming to school with Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Resource Officer (SRO) Jessica Pendleton at the start of the new school year, and the duo visit classrooms so students can meet the dog, learn about her role, and, most importantly, pet her.
“She provides comfort and support for our students and our staff in just a variety of challenges,” Pendleton said.
The Bartholomew County commissioners voted in July to approve an amendment to a memorandum of understanding that allows Pendleton to bring Starlight with her to the Hope-area schools.
While Pendleton will continue to own the dog, the amendment called for the school corporation and the SRO to share costs in the caring of the Australian shepherd, Bartholomew County Sheriff Chief Deputy Maj. John Martoccia said at the time. He added that food has been donated for the dog’s lifetime.
Pendleton bought Starlight a little over a year ago. While the dog was initially her pet, Pendleton became interested in the idea of training her for therapy, she said.
According to Martoccia, Pendleton personally paid for Starlight to become a certified therapy dog.
Her training and certification came through the south central Indiana chapter of Love on a Leash, a national non-profit committed to bringing comfort, happiness, and healing by increasing public awareness of pet therapy, according to the organization’s website.
“A lot of schools are obtaining therapy dogs,” Martoccia said. “It’s really becoming a national trend.”
The presence of a therapy dog can decrease anxiety and provide a level of comfort that enables students to work through a variety of challenging issues.
The dog may also be used for operations such as critical incident debriefings, community relation events, support of juvenile victims, support for victims of violent offenses and those who have suffered other traumatic events.
“Thank you guys for being open to the idea and helping make it a possibility,” said Hauser principal Kris Fortune. “We’ve already seen this help some of our kiddos and some of our staff members.”
