Mabel the Dog Gets a Bark-tastic Sendoff at Archway Glendale

There was a whole lot of tail-wagging, belly-rubbing, and joyful barking at Archway Glendale, as students, staff, and families came together to throw a surprise birthday paw-ty for one of their most beloved campus companions, Mabel the service dog.

Mabel, the loyal therapy pup of former Dean of Students Joy Slate, has been a comforting presence at the academy for the last few years. We first met the “Marvelous Miss Mabel” in 2022, while still in training before she officially joined the faculty in 2023. Mabel was trained and certified as a therapy dog and spent a few days a week at the school to provide a myriad of services to the students and staff. Mabel’s name is Latin in origin (of course) and means “lovable.” After meeting Mabel in person, you understand the accuracy of that name.

She instantly became a hit with the school as well as the surrounding community, gaining the attention of many local news media outlets.

Though her birthday was technically in April, the front office team decided it was time to fetch some belated birthday fun. Turns out Mabel is no stranger to birthday fame. “When we celebrated [last year], I think I received over a hundred birthday cards for Mabel,” Joy added. That’s a pup-ular girl!

This year, the celebration went to the dogs… in the best way. The front office team encouraged families to bring their pups through the carline to help celebrate. “We actually have a lot of dogs who come through the lines all the time,” said Joy, “so we wanted to give them goodies and celebrate Mabel’s birthday today.”

The carline turned into a joyful pup parade, with what seemed like 101 dogs barking, families waving, and Mabel happily soaking it all in. Small dogs and big dogs arrived, sticking theirs heads out of the car windows, from retrievers to bulldogs, and poodles to dalmatians, they all “put on the dog” and showed up to celebrate everyone’s favorite Bernedoodle. “Mabel got a few gifts,” Joy noted, as cheerful applause, paws, and wagging tails filled the air.

But even as the community came together to shower Mabel with love, the celebration carried a paws-itively bittersweet note. Slate and Mabel are saying goodbye. “So, Mabel and I are off to new adventures,” Slate shared. “I took a job at a small classical school in Grand Junction, Colorado, so I will be moving on from Great Hearts. I’ve been with Great Hearts for 16 years, so it’s been a long journey. It was hard, but we’re ready. We’re ready to move on and offer something special to another school.”

It’s a ruff goodbye, but Slate and Mabel’s time at Archway Glendale has left a lasting impression. From morning greetings to quiet moments of comfort, Mabel’s presence has been more than just formidable. It’s been paw-sitively life-changing.

As they set off for new beginnings, we wish them all the best in this next chapter. Happy Bark-day, Mabel. You’ll always be top dog in our grateful hearts!

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