The pandemic brought attention to the anxiety, depression and stress that many teens face. And it inspired one Myers Park High School senior to share the help that she got from a pair of four-legged therapists.
Ella Typrin was about to finish eighth grade at Northwest School of the Arts when COVID-19 closed schools in spring of 2020. She was already preparing for a huge transition: Moving into the International Baccalaureate program at Myers Park High in August.
When that time came, classes were still remote.
“COVID just kind of brought everything down,” she recalls. “I didn’t feel like I had any friends and like academics was really difficult for me.”
Typrin was a strong student and a guitarist who’s been playing since elementary school. Her first instructor taught her to play some of her favorite Green Day songs.
He also taught her the devastation that depression and mental illness can bring.
“He committed suicide,” Typrin said. “And that was really, really hard for me, ’cause I just, you know, I didn’t understand what it was, and mental health was like this whole new thing for me.”
Years later, Typrin says, she started to understand more about that pain as she sat at home during her freshman year, trying to learn from a laptop and feeling alone: “I just suffered a lot with depression and anxiety. And I got into, like, a dark place.”
Typrin got professional help, and she’s thriving now as a senior. She gives a lot of credit to two family members, Holly and Esther.
“Holly is an English black Lab. She is 6 years old now. And Esther is an English chocolate and she is 7,” Typrin said. “They require walks and attention and love, and giving that to them, I got it in return.”
Training for therapy
Typrin is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars, an honor society that connects students with opportunities for leadership and personal development. The group helped Typrin find a Charlotte trainer who could prepare her, Esther and Holly to do pet therapy.
Each dog now has a vest that says, “Pet me.” They wear the vests to visit the airport, where they’re part of the CLT Canine Crew that helps calm stressed travelers. Typrin has made up trading cards for each dog — and in return they’ve gotten pin-on wings from flight crews.
They also make rounds at Levine Children’s Hospital, where matters tend to be more serious than a delayed flight.
Typrin especially remembers visiting a teen who had been shot in the spine.
“We propped up Esther on the bed and he was able to pet her, and move his arm for the first time, which was really cool to experience,” she recalls. “And then we went back a couple weeks later and he had a little nametag with his name on it. But then under it, it said, ‘Esther’s secondary handler.’ ”
Typrin has created a charity called Healing Puppy Project to help promote awareness of the benefits of therapy dogs.
Wellness Wednesdays at Myers Park
Typrin also brings her dogs to Wellness Wednesdays at Myers Park High, where she picks one dog for each visit. This week, with final exams gearing up, Typrin and Holly walked the quad as the huge school’s five lunch groups cycled through.
Holly drew a steady stream of admirers, greeting her with coos, pats on the head and questions. Typrin made sure each student got a warm welcome and an introduction to Holly.
“Is she, like, a retired service dog or something or do y’all just bring her here?” one student asked.
“She’s a therapy dog, so she’s here for, like, mental health reasons, just to make people feel better,” Typrin said. “It’s the end of the year and people have exams, so she’s here to just give you a big hug.”
Typrin says hanging out in the quad during lunchtime combines Holly’s two favorite things: Getting petted … and food. Holly is too well trained to beg, but she has been known to inch along the ground toward a dropped morsel. And if you want to get Holly’s attention, the sure-fire word is “breakfast,” which the Typrin family uses to signal either of two daily meals.
Typrin says her dogs are low maintenance, just requiring water breaks on hot days and occasional reassurance when the humans don’t behave as well as they do.
“My dogs, they don’t bark at anything. But sometimes the kids at the school will bark at them,” Typrin said.
Trying to get back to normal
Most Wednesdays Typrin is joined by a crew that includes Labrador puppies, a couple of Newfoundlands, a terrier, a golden retriever and their human companions, who are adults. It’s part of a bigger effort to help students find their footing after their lives were disrupted.
Schools across the country reported seeing students struggle mentally, emotionally and socially after schools were closed. Principal Robert Folk says Myers Park High was no exception.
“We worked hard on allowing students time to socialize together and time to have free space, time to really have mental breaks,” he said. “It has taken this much time, I really believe, for our young people to start to feel what we might call normal again.”
This year the school turned an art gallery into a student wellness center. Three days a week, students can sit, surrounded by soft music, a vibrant mural and nature videos playing on a large screen. They can play Uno or Jenga, do yoga or just take a break.
“It brings in all students from all places, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish here, is just a positive space for students who either need additional support or need some mental health space, or just want a chill place to hang out,” Folk said.
Folk and his faculty are well aware that some students need more than just a dog to pet or a quiet break. The center is dedicated to 16-year-old Myers Park student Jason Huff Jr., who died by suicide in March 2022. His family raised money to help the school renovate the space and add a mural depicting things Jason loved.
Susan Billmire, a counselor who serves as Myers Park’s graduation coach, oversees the center. She and other counselors check in with students who drop in, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be struggling.
Another big transition
Typrin will graduate June 13. She has a full scholarship to UNC Wilmington, where she plans to major in biology and genetics. Wilmington also offers an unusual minor — in assistance dog training.
“They give you a therapy dog as a class,” Typrin said. “And you train it and it becomes your dog over the course of like four to two years, and it graduates with you.”
So even though Holly and Esther will stay behind, Typrin is not through exploring the healing power of a companion who’s always up for a snuggle.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
