BY KARISSA MILLER

When students in Kristine Mifsud’s second-grade class at Cloverleaf Elementary School learned they were going to have a special visitor, they had no idea who would be stopping by.

Dixie Lynn, a cream-colored miniature Schnauzer and Chihuahua mix, jingled her collar as students greeted her with “oohs” and “ahhs” during the therapy dog’s surprise visit on Wednesday morning.

“Kids light up whenever we have a dog in the classroom. Dogs naturally make everyone happy,” Mifsud said.

Excitement spread on each students’ face as they gave Dixie hugs, spoke kind words and gave lots of pats. Dixie belongs to Karissa Miller, but today she was being handled by guest visitor Dennis Huntley.

Huntley enjoyed the experience.

“Every child interacted with me on a personal level. Some of them talked about their dogs and some about their parents. They talked about a lot of different things — all in the course of a few seconds,” Huntley said.

Students were given a coloring sheet of Dixie that was drawn by Huntley, as a reminder of their special visit with their new four-legged friend.

“One boy, in particular, we talked a lot and at the end as I got ready to leave, he extended his hand and shook my hand. He said, ‘Thank you for coming,’ ” Huntley said.

It was a moment, he said, that was both memorable and heartwarming.

Huntley, who lives in Shelby, is an artist and a retired school counselor and psychologist of 34 years. He worked with children of all ages during his career.

The dog therapy visit Wednesday was part of a larger event spearheaded by Miller and new Cloverleaf Principal Jennifer Dalton.

Dixie, who is 2 years old, began therapy work at Cloverleaf at the end of last school year. During her first visit, local photographer Ben Gibson took a picture of a student holding Dixie.

Miller sent that photo to her friend Huntley, who turned it into a large painting that he donated to the school Wednesday morning.

“We are extremely appreciative and thankful for the painting,” Dalton said. “We had a wonderful visit today that included local artist Dennis Huntley and canine Dixie. Dixie brings a lot of fun to our school.”

During a brief ceremony, Huntley presented Dalton with the painting. A location for the portrait will be selected in the future.

Guests in attendance were Ginny Huntley, Dennis’ wife; former principal Andy Mehall; Gibson and Tom Wiberg, whose late wife Susie previously served the school with regular therapy dog visits.

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