Goldendoodle puppy at St. Mary Catholic Central named after popular science teacher helps kids, teachers relax and have fun during hard year

MONROE — Jeff Goda has grown used to students dropping by during the school day to visit his office mate, who is always ready to welcome them with a friendly wag of his tail. 

The director of marketing and communication for St. Mary Catholic Central High School in Monroe serves as the handler for Marius, a goldendoodle puppy and therapy dog in training who has been coming to work with him daily since he was about 10 weeks old. 

Marius, who turned one in May, has spent the school year learning basic obedience commands and getting oriented to the sights, sounds and smells of a busy school environment. Once he completes his training, the goal is for the pup to become certified as a therapy dog that will stay on to serve the SMCC community. 

Marius is named after Bro. Marius Wittner, CSC, who taught at Monroe Catholic Central — now SMCC — from 1976 to 1989. Goda, a 1987 graduate, says he suggested the legacy name because Bro. Marius was a favorite teacher of many students.

Marius the dog brings smiles to the faces of students whenever they see him, according to Nancy Masuda, an art and architectural arts instructor who chairs the school’s wellness committee. 

“Even with the masks, you can see an immediate smile that he brings — just his presence alone,” Masuda said. 

The idea for the therapy dog came from the school’s wellness committee that formed last school year. Tamara Johnson, a committee member and college counselor at SMCC, had already seen firsthand the benefits of having a therapy dog on campus because her husband, Matt, teaches at St. John’s Jesuit in Toledo and has served as handler for that school’s therapy dog, Iggy, for three years.

Once Marius completes his training, Johnson hopes he will be able to freely mingle with the students off leash as Iggy does, bringing a sense of joy and calm to all he meets. 

“Whenever you’re around a dog, you kind of tend to relax,” she said. 

Goda says studies have shown that having a dog available to pet can help lower anxiety and blood pressure and release calming hormones. 

Marius is one of several initiatives to come out of the school’s wellness committee, Masuda noted. While she believes wellness is incorporated into everything the school does, she says the committee helps focus those efforts.

For instance, SMCC partnered with Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan to bring in a licensed therapist to provide on-site counseling services to students coping with ongoing issues, and Masuda is finishing teaching a semester-long course on social and emotional happiness. The class explores the science of happiness as well as conflict resolution.

“Anything we can do to help students with stress and anxiety, which is quite a massive issue, even pre-pandemic but now post-pandemic with everything that’s going on, is very important,” said Jason Linster, SMCC’s principal.

Marius has quickly become one of the most popular members of the SMCC community, delighting students, faculty and staff alike as he practices his obedience skills while walking the halls and visiting classrooms.

The school celebrated Marius’ his first birthday May 14 with an ice cream party on the front lawn, where the guest of honor was treated to a bone-shaped cake and a chorus of “Happy Birthday” by the students.

“I feel like the dog just brings a sense of light to the school,” said Jacob Smith, a freshman at SMCC. “With COVID, we can’t do a lot of things. It’s something to look forward to.”

Jacob is one of several students who had the opportunity to work closely with Marius under the supervision of Ryan O’Brien, owner and head trainer of Delta Elite K9 Dog Training in Monroe. O’Brien, a 2012 SMCC graduate, has conducted a thorough regimen of obedience training with Marius throughout the past year. 

“It’s off to a great start because we’ve started at such a young age with him,” O’Brien said.

A therapy dog differs from a service dog that is trained to perform a specific task to assist its owner. O’Brien said therapy dogs are trained to provide comfort, and are often found in hospitals, schools, libraries and nursing homes. In addition to having solid basic obedience skills, therapy dogs need to be comfortable around people and in varying environments. Most are ready to become certified sometime in their second year.

The school year is winding down, but Goda will continue to take Marius to group classes over the summer to continue his training in preparation for his return to SMCC in the fall. He says he enjoys the dog’s companionship, and the time spent raising and training Marius this past year has been both fun and rewarding. 

“I’ve seen him grow not only in size, but maturity and willingness to work hard when we’re training him,” Goda said. “Our training is a work in progress, but I look forward to reaching the goals that we have set for him.”