Callie and her owner, Jeanie Olian, pose for a photo
When coming into the office, whether for a late pass or to talk to an attendance lady, you can see a well loved animal: Callie. Callie is an eleven year old black labrador. She is the dog of Jeanie Olian, who works in the attendance office. Olian has had Callie for ten years after rescuing her from a family when she was two. During Covid, Callie was diagnosed with lymphoma, and since then she has been diagnosed with sarcoma, which resulted in her having to endure chemotherapy.
As a result of the chemo, Callie has to stay with Olian at all times to ensure that she can urinate to prevent bladder infections. However, there was an incident where Callie was not able to urinate outside, which caught the attention of a parent.
“She deserves to be here, because of everything she’s been through.”
– Giselle Shih
Sophomore
“Most recently a parent complained. She sent an email to the principal, and contacted HR [human resources], and HR said I can’t have the dog in the school any longer,” Olian said.
Callie looks back at the camera
This angered students who had come to see Callie as a part of the school, something that helped the school’s overall environment.
“I feel frustrated, because she deserves to be here, because of everything she’s been through,” sophomore Giselle Shih said.
Callie has caught the attention of many students and staff members alike, who see her as a therapist, going to her whenever they need a break from class, or just want to see her. Callie was described as a sweet dog who doesn’t try to get in the way of staff members working in the office.
“She’s the gentlest, lowkey dog,” Avid teacher Dr. Michelle Lafevre-Bernt said. “She doesn’t jump, doesn’t really lick, she doesn’t really do anything obnoxious that people don’t like dogs to do.”
