INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - At George Washington Carver Montessori School, Bodhi was more than a trained therapy dog, he was part of the family.
He lost his battle to kidney cancer within the last month. As elementary school students, those who knew and loved Bodhi are dealing with the reality of a difficult life lesson.
“He has like a sense that can sense somebody who’s sad or angry,” said third grader Bailey Bell as her schoolmates hugged a stuffed animal golden retriever.
“He reminds me of Bodhi,” said first grader Zayden Traphhen. Zayden, his twin sister Ainsley, and their classmate Bell all took turns passing the stuffed animal to one another instinctively as they talked about Bodhi. At one point, Zayden hugged the stuffed animal close to his chest and buried his face into its plush fur.
For six years, Bodhi was a part of this Indianapolis public school.
Fourth grader Eli Heste said he first met Bodhi when he was in kindergarten.
“He felt like a part of my family,” said Heste, his bottom lip quivering. “One time I had a stomach ache he came and laid next to me and stayed with me until my mom came and picked me up.”
Some of the kids shared stories of when classmates were mean to them, or when they were sad, and Bodhi instinctively knew to come and cuddle with them.
Facing a loss is difficult for most people, especially children who haven’t yet even entered double digits in age.
“At first it was really tough, but then I got through it,” said Heste.
Heste said amid the difficulty of losing Bodhi, when he thinks of his friend he feels “warm-hearted.”
For Bell, “reading without Bodhi is boring. Reading with Bailey is fun.”
As Bell described a time Bodhi crawled under the table while she was reading to him, the Tapphen twins began to giggle remembering the incident with a twinkle in their eyes.
While Bodhi was a therapy dog in the school for the kids, he brought solace and comfort to the adults he met as well.
“When all the children would leave, I would go and cuddle with him and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one,” said bilingual assistant Christine Smalley.
She describes Bodhi as a “big, smiley, dog face.”
Principal Mark Nardo said he knew hiring teacher Courtney Hedges was a “two-for-one deal.”
Hedges had adopted Bodhi when he was two years old and had raised him for the last ten years. Like many other therapy dogs in Indiana, he went through training with the Indiana Canine Assistance Network called ICAN.
“We got Courtney, which was an amazing hire, because she’s a fantastic teacher, but we also got Bodhi, who was a member of our family,” said Nardo. “And that was really important to us."
The school had never had a therapy dog prior to Bodhi.
“As a Montessori choice school, one of things we talk about is educating the whole child. So we teach peace, love, kindness. Grace and courtesy are a part of our curriculum. So with the therapy dog we knew we could reinforce those expectations,” said Nardo.
Students also helped brush Bodhi’s teeth, comb his fur and learn how to “take care of an animal,” said Nardo and Hedges.
But Bodhi “knew when he was off the clock,” said Hedges.
“He would go home and play with his brother, they would wrestle, they would bark at each other, which he would not do at school. So he knew his role at school and his role at home,” said Hedges.
Around Hedges' neck is a pendant given to her as a gift after Bodhi passed. It’s a detailed image of Bodhi engraved from a photo.
“It’s been tough,” said Hedges wiping away a tear.
“I haven’t been able to do this yet,” said Nardo, pausing as if to try to regain control of his emotions.
“His snack container…it’s full of Cheerios and has his picture on it,” he continued.
Once visible, it now rests on a window sill behind the door, still filled with Cheerios, even those Bodhi presence in the halls is only a memory.
Principal Nardo said there’s a little less joy at the school since Bodhi’s passing.
“Maybe not an easy lesson” for the kids said Smalley.
But she agreed with Bell that “even though Bodhi is gone, he is still in our hearts."
On Friday afternoon, Nardo revealed a marker that was donated to the school. On it is an inscription that reads: “Devoted therapy dog, Loved by All" with Bodhi's name and 2007-2019.
Once a place has been decided upon for the memorial, a tree will be planted alongside it.
In the last week, the school has raised close to $700 for ICAN. Staff members say the George Washington Carver Montessori School family wanted to help train other dogs like Bodhi and help more communities benefit from the love and compassion they received from their beloved dog.