Heidi & Breeze
Bark 2 School with Breeze
Sharpen your pencils because it’s back-to-school season!
For students, teachers, and families, the new school year can stir up a mix of emotions. There’s excitement for fresh beginnings, anxiety about the uncertainty of what’s ahead, and anticipation for new stories just waiting to be told.
But for Heidi, a significant needs special education teacher at a Colorado high school, and her adoring students, each school year is made a little more magical thanks to a four-legged classmate named Breeze.
A gentle and affectionate black Labrador retriever, Breeze was custom trained by Freedom Service Dogs of America (FSD) to work alongside Heidi to offer highly skilled support to students with disabilities and other members of their community.
Breeze spent her first two years training with FSD where she learned specialized skills, such as performing deep pressure therapy; helping with regulation of emotions; and assisting with classroom activities focused on responsibility, independence, life skills, and self-awareness.
In spring 2025, Breeze joined Heidi’s classroom for the first time, ready to begin a partnership where both her and Heidi could offer a valuable resource to students in need.
Heidi works with teenagers with disabilities to help prepare them for greater independence and confidence navigating life after high school through life and social skills, as well as service learning. She has always been passionate about creating meaningful experiences for her students, but the introduction of Breeze to her education plan has brought something entirely new to the classroom.
“Breeze is adored by everyone,” Heidi said.
Making a Difference for Students with Disabilities
From the day she arrived, Breeze has been sought out by Heidi’s students as a source of comfort, motivation, and joy. Breeze is friendly, loving, and highly affectionate by nature, which in turn fosters relaxation and emotional regulation for students. Her presence alone has also been a helpful tool in motivating and incentivizing students to actively participate in lessons. With Breeze as her partner, Heidi has seen a positive shift in the atmosphere of the classroom and an increased excitement in students to learn, engage, and come to school.
While Breeze’s cuteness and natural ability to comfort students are certainly helpful in effectively doing her job, it is her expert training that has allowed her to be an incredible partner to Heidi and an important tool in the classroom. As a facility dog, Heidi often directs Breeze to assist students by performing customized tasks, such as providing deep pressure therapy or retrieving items like tissues, to assist in deescalating emotional outbursts, improving focus, increasing bodily and self awareness, and learning to express emotions in healthy ways.
“When my students are having a bad day, they naturally seek Breeze out,” Heidi shared. “The same goes for other staff and general education students who have started to visit her when they need extra support too. By just petting her, they calm down and feel better.”
Breeze has also transformed everyday lessons into meaningful and memorable experiences. Breeze is often an active participant in life skills lessons, which encourages students to stay focused and engaged in the learning process. For example, Heidi can direct Breeze to pull clothes out of a dryer as a fun demonstration on how to do laundry. These lessons are often rooted in responsibility, independence, self-care, and important personal and professional skills students will need as they enter young adulthood. Having Breeze as a part of these lessons has been pivotal in engaging more students and connecting with them in unique ways.
“It’s amazing the things that the kids do with Breeze and how they love her,” Heidi shared. “My students love to give her treats and get her to do the commands she knows. To me, that shows learning and growth. The confidence they have to interact with her and the excitement I can see in their eyes when they ask her to do something and she does it is so special. She is such a fantastic teacher and friend to those kids.”
When Heidi first brought Breeze to the classroom, she knew many of the students would love her immediately but had hesitation knowing some of them were anxious about adding newness to their routine. Some were even a little uncomfortable around dogs. But Breeze, who has never known a stranger, quickly proved that she can make a difference even when someone is unsure about her.
“I have one student who is very afraid of dogs and wouldn’t get near her at first. But he’s started to smile and wave at her because she’s so sweet and loved in the classroom. That’s progress and growth in confidence, and that’s the kind of difference Breeze is making,” Heidi said.
An Impact Throughout the Entire School
Breeze’s greatest impact may not only be measured by the moments that happen inside Heidi’s classroom. It can also be seen in the connections she has helped create throughout the entire high school.
Heidi’s school serves more than 2,000 students and nearly 120 staff members. Despite being a part of the same campus, however, there aren’t always natural opportunities for the students with disabilities and students without disabilities, as well as staff members, to engage with one another. But Breeze has started to change that.
“Typically, special education is in its own world. It’s like we’re in our own little bubble,” Heidi said. “Now, general education students come to our classroom to ask where Breeze is. Those who wouldn’t have known about me and my students now come to my classroom to see Breeze. Other teachers seek us out, too. I find it amazing that she has encouraged people to spend time with us, meet my amazing kids, and learn about how to interact with people with disabilities. She’s a real learning opportunity for the entire school and has created so much inclusion for my students.”
Through a shared love of dogs, Breeze has helped bridge the gap between students that might never have connected otherwise. Her presence alone has created opportunities for understanding, interaction, and inclusion, helping students from different walks of life engage in a way that feels natural and simple.
“Breeze is not only making an impact on the special education students, but also the school staff and the general education students who smile when they see her. She makes everyone’s day and is a bright light for not just my students, but for the entire school and anyone having a hard day,” Heidi said.
By the end of the 2025-2026 school year, Breeze had become such an important part of the school that she was given an entire page in the yearbook dedicated to her. It was a fitting tribute for a dog who has touched so many lives and brought people together, no matter who they are.
Heidi’s Best Friend
While Breeze’s impact on the school experience within Heidi’s classroom and throughout the entire school is apparent, she has also been pivotal in Heidi’s personal and professional life in ways she never expected.
At the time Heidi applied for a facility dog from FSD, she was grappling with the loss of her father. Through that grief, she knew her father would’ve been incredibly supportive of her desire to incorporate a dog into her work.
On the day Heidi was notified she had been officially accepted onto FSD’s waitlist for a facility dog, she also learned that her beloved brother had tragically passed away in a car accident earlier in the day.
Just four days later, Breeze was born.
Because of Breeze’s timing and the many connections she sees between her dog, her brother, and her father, Heidi believes Breeze was a gift sent to her when she needed one most. Always by her side, Breeze has been a source of healing and comfort for Heidi through grief and loss. Heidi even noted that she consistently feels her loved ones are with her when she’s with Breeze.
Breeze has not only been an incredible friend and coworker to Heidi, but she also encouraged her to spend more time doing what she loves, such as hiking, getting outside, and spending time with friends. Because they love spreading joy so much, they even do official visits to bring therapeutic support to first responders in their community from time to time.
“Since getting Breeze, I have become more social and active,” Heidi said. “Loved ones recognize how much happier I am with her and how much we love getting out, doing new things, and spreading kindness. She has been such a blessing and has helped me through some hard times.”
Two Hearts, One Team
For Heidi, Breeze is so much more than a working partner and everyday game changer in her classroom. She is a friend, a sense of purpose, and a bright light in her life and the lives of many. She is also a reminder that even in difficult times, connection and joy can be found in unexpected places.
“I feel like I owe FSD and those who helped Breeze on her journey so much,” Heidi said. “Breeze is such a gift, and I am so thankful.”
What began as a partnership intended to support students with disabilities has grown into something much bigger as Heidi and Breeze bring smiles, comfort, and stress relief throughout their entire school, to first responders, and to other members of their community. Each day, they inspire inclusion, connection, and kindness everywhere they go.
No matter where their futures take them, Heidi is confident that her and Breeze will be taking on every chapter together.
Heidi and Breeze are one of many FSD teams making an impact. If you or someone you know is interested in supporting our mission and helping us partner more extraordinary dogs like Breeze with professionals like Heidi, as well as the other individuals we serve, visit freedomservicedogs.org to learn more about how you can get involved!
Dogs make a difference, and so can you!
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Published 8/10/2026
Contact Erin Conley at [email protected] for all media inquiries.