A reddish-brown labradoodle darts back and forth across the schoolyard of the Juliana van Stolbergschool in Hoogeveen. It’s Pelle and that’s no ordinary school dog. He is the loyal buddy of administrative employee Marianne Mijnheer and has become an indispensable part of a school building.
There is a very personal and sad story behind Pelle. Last year, Marianne’s husband died after a period of illness.
Mister lives in Hoogeveen with one of her sons. Her other son has now left home. After her husband’s death, the house felt empty and quiet and that had to change.
“We were hoping for more time together,” she says. “He then said: a dog would have been nice too. That never happened.” After his death, Marianne entered a difficult period. “At one point I thought: maybe that dog was a good idea after all. I wanted some fun in the house again.”
She and her two sons decided to get a dog. The name Pelle was quickly invented. “We are a Feyenoord family at home. In 2012 Graziano Pelle played there. My husband thought he was a great football player, I especially thought he was a handsome man,” laughs Marianne. “That’s how the name came about.”
Pelle not only turned out to be a source of comfort at home, but also a source of conviviality at school. Marianne works three mornings a week at the Juliana van Stolbergschool and carefully asked if Pelle could come along. “The first reactions were a bit hesitant, but we decided to give it a try. And it’s going really well.”
The entire school now knows Pelle. He often lies relaxed in Marianne’s office, where children are allowed to come and cuddle. “We had a little boy who was very sad,” says Marianne. “He came to sit here with Pelle and after a while you saw him completely relaxed. It was just good again.”
According to Stefan Gijsbertsen, director of education & quality at PricoH, Pelle has a clear effect. “It’s very sweet to see. Children gain peace and support from his presence. Sometimes it helps to sit with the dog for a while when emotions run high. And it works both ways: children also learn responsibility by caring for Pelle.”
The judgment is clear to the students. Pelle is not only a school dog, but also a bit of a student. “It’s great that he’s here,” they say. “You can concentrate better.” And who would most like to take Pelle home? That answer is unanimous: “Me! Me! Me!”