Paws and Peers MPS

08/28/2026

Olaf was back at it again! Making new friends is easy when the students are as nice as Whittier's Wildcats. Olaf says thank you for letting him visit.

08/17/2026

08/14/2026

Olaf was out visiting the awesome students at Webster Elementary today. Kindergarten, first grade, and a sprinkling of other classes showed their Cougar pride by welcoming Paws & Peers to campus.

08/14/2026

Our new round of training started last night. 8 teams started Obedience class and 6 started Therapy Prep. It's so fun to see teams take the next steps on their journey to become Paws & Peers Therapy Dog teams.

08/10/2026

Welcome back Mesa students! Olaf visited with kindergarteners at Emerson Elementary to help make back to school less stressful. Lots of treats and pets made his day.

08/04/2026

Olaf is getting to know his new co-workers at Westwood.

07/26/2026

It's almost time for teachers to return to school. Olaf and I have been making the rounds and settling in to our new digs at the Westwood Region Office. What have you been doing with your final days of summer break?

05/22/2026

Introducing Nancy Parra-Quinlan as the next coordinator. Nancy is an experienced Paws handler with her two pups, Bear & Olaf. She will be leaving her teaching position at Kino Junior High to explore the new world of Paws & Peers! We’re excited for her and know her teaching experience will be a great asset to this position in support of the handlers. Go Nancy!

05/22/2026

What an incredible 4 years it has been being the MPS district support specialist. I am so proud of this program. Nelly and I have met so many wonderful educators and therapy dogs. Thank you for following along on Instagram and Facebook. I will greatly miss this work. Nelly has completed ~7.5 years of therapy dog service with me in 💙🩵🐶🐾 We are moving out of state and will be passing off the opportunity to another experienced staff handler.

05/20/2026

Welcoming new pups! These adorable dogs just passed their AAT. ❤️