Where Did The Puppies Go?

The monthly visits from the therapy dogs of Love on a Leash were delayed due to incomplete board-certified paperwork, but may return in the future.

Will Nolan, Editor-in-Chief of Broadcast Media | October 14, 2025

Emery Miyasaki (10), shares pets and smiles with a therapy dog from Love on a Leash. The popular program has been on hiatus here until board-certified paperwork is completed.

Kirsten Pinkham

Love on a Leash: an organization that strives to give comfort and happiness to communities around the country.

For the past year, they have visited the Liberty library during Nest Time (where students get time to work on homework or make up tests). On the first Thursday of every month, Love on a Leash brings therapy dogs to the school for students to pet and play with, while the dogs are dressed up in funny costumes. Students have found comfort and stress relief in this event, such as Jasmine Morris (11), a Love on a Leash monthly visitor who was deeply affected by the cancellation.

“It’s very nice when they come in, I get to relax for once in a while and just hang out with dogs, since I’m not really around dogs all the time,” Morris said.

Suddenly, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, Linda Bolen the Love on a Leash St. Charles County chapter leader, received a notice from the librarian Nikki Playle, that the district has cancelled the October Love on a Leash visit.

“I was very disappointed when I heard their visit got cancelled because it was the first one of the school year,” Morris said.

Bolen said she received an email from Playle on Sept. 24. Playle said that principal Dr. Ed Nelson had been approached about having board-certified paperwork for the Love on a Leash organization so Liberty had to cancel Love on a Leash upcoming visit.

The school board of the Wentzville School District has the say in this decision on the dogs’ visit being halted for time being. According to the Deputy Superintendent of the district, Dr. Jeri LaBrot, per Regulation 6145, there is a chance that Love on a Leash will be allowed to return to their monthly visits, as long as our contract with the company gets renewed, as it has been timed out.

Items Needed to Submit a Proposal to Bring Therapy Dogs/Service Animals to School, Per Regulation 6145

Step 1a

Must be submitted to the building principal and must include:

- A description of the intended purpose and role of the therapy dog within the school setting, aligned with specific, goal-oriented objectives

Step 1b

Complete (and up-to-date) documentation, including:

- Certification and training records from a reputable organization.
- Proof of liability insurance.
- Handler’s license and certification documentation.
- Dog’s health and vaccination records.
- Detailed attendance schedule with objectives for each visit.

Step 2

Completed and building-approved applications are referred to the Deputy Superintendent, who reviews the application for full requirements. Then application is then submitted to the Business Office for compliance verification.

Step 3

Applications that meet all requirements will be forwarded to the Superintendent for final consideration.

Step 4

After superintendent approval, the District and the handler or third-party organization must enter into a Board-approved Therapy Dog Services Agreement

“Per Regulation 6145, the district and the handler or third-party organization must enter into a Board-approved Therapy Dog Services Agreement,” LaBrot said. “The recent lapse in service is due to the need to update our Board-approved Therapy Dog Services Agreement.”

With this being a school board decision, Liberty admin had no say in the decision to cancel the visit. However, on Oct. 7, principal Dr. Ed Nelson, reported that the agreement has been resolved.

“The district has completed the process of developing and outlining policy related to service animals and therapy dogs,” Nelson said.

At this time, Regulation 6145 has been resolved, however, this does not mean that the dogs will for sure come back to the library next month.

“I am in the process of gathering the paperwork and hope to have it ready for approval at the next board meeting,” Playle said.

The chance of the dogs coming back has increased since the news first broke about them getting cancelled. Although, whenever they do come back, it will for sure bring a smile to everyone’s face, as anytime they visit, it’s a joy for all to share.

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About the Contributors

Will Nolan, Editor-in-Chief of Broadcast Media

Will Nolan is a senior and this is his second year in publications. Nolan is the Editor-in-Chief of Broadcast Media as well as a reporter for Online News. He cannot wait to work alongside his class to try and produce the best videos possible for this program. Currently, Nolan has a job at Lake Forest Country Club where he works in the bag room and the cart barn. In his free time, Nolan enjoys playing golf, hanging out with friends, and traveling. Nolan cannot wait to start the year and see how far the broadcast program will go.

Kirsten Pinkham, Reporter

Kirsten Pinkham is a sophomore, and is in her second year in Publications. Pinkham loves photography, and is the head photographer for the Liberty Eagles Hockey team. She is also going to be the social media manager for the team. Pinkham enjoys going to sports games and writing recap stories of the games, especially for hockey. Outside of Publications, Pinkham loves to read, listen to music, bake, and hang out with her friends. Pinkham hopes to pursue a career in photography and social media management, with the end goal hopefully being the NHL.