Mojo; a magic charm, talisman, or spell. One could say that one loving staff member at Pleasant Valley would happen to fit this definition to perfection. Rather than a teacher, he is an eight year old golden retriever named Mojo. Born April 11, 2008, he was adopted by Jodi and John Mitchell at eight weeks old to be a play therapy and family dog for their younger daughter.

For the first two years of Mojo’s life, he was just that; a loving puppy with a great personality. Jodi Mitchell, owner of Mojo and paraeducator at the high school, says, “By the time Mojo turned two years old, we realized that his gentle nature and love of people was very clearly going to meet our initial goal.” That goal, of course, was to be the playful and kind puppy everyone needs in their lives. When Mitchell worked at Riverdale Heights Elementary school, the principal asked if Mitchell would be interested in training Mojo to be a school therapy dog.

After agreeing that this seemed like the perfect job for Mojo, he underwent eight months of training to become a certified Facilities Dog. Until this school year, the fall of 2016, Mojo spent his days primarily comforting children in the special education program at Riverdale Heights. Although Mojo has transitioned from young children to young adults, he is fitting into the high school perfectly. Students may see him roaming the halls during the passing period looking for new friends with a slight dog ‘smile’ and a tail gliding back and forth.

According to Gina Weaver, Special Education teacher , Mojo’s job is to, “Make everyone smile.” For centuries, dogs have been one of America’s favorite comforts, so it’s no doubt Mojo is Pleasant Valley’s. Mojo is not only available in the room his dog bed lays (261) but can provide comfort for anyone in the school. Often, Mojo is called down to the nurse’s office when kids are having an anxiety attack. Weaver says, “When kids are having a rough time, Mojo goes down and they are able to brush him, which helps calm them down.” Often, there is some type of love a dog can provide that makes students feel understood, calm, and relieved. Mojo is also available for students to read to, lay next to, and as an award for good behavior or completed school work. In his service life, Mitchell confers, “Mojo has met every goal we have placed on him.” Who knew such a big ball of golden fur could function as such a strong tug of war player, and also the sweetest comfort?

When Mojo is ‘off duty’, he has a lot of free time to do the things he loves. Mitchell comments, “If we could all melt into our beds the way Mojo does we would all get up feeling so great.” Although sleeping is one of his favorite pastimes, he loves being around people and his family. After being cooped up inside the school all day, Mojo enjoys playing soccer in his backyard, visiting with neighbors, barking at the UPS truck, and receiving walks from flashing his convincing ‘puppy face.’ There’s also nothing better for Mojo than hearing the words, “ride along” which means he gets to ride in the car with the window down, and his golden fur blowing in the wind.

Like any other dog, Mojo also loves his treats, just like the rest of us. In a few years, when Mojo’s service time is up, he will spend his days sleeping at home and eating treats, but until then he will saunter the halls of Pleasant Valley High School. Feel free to pet Mojo between classes, he won’t bite. In fact, he might be the magic charm needed to brighten the day.