By Tom Ossa
Thiells, NY — On Thursday evening at 6 pm, Fieldstone Middle School will host a unique and heartwarming event titled Inside Mabee’s World, offering the community a rare glimpse into the emotional intelligence, scientific training, and therapeutic power of service dogs.
At the center of this celebration is Maybee, a facility dog trained by Canine Companions, whose presence has transformed student life across the North Rockland Central School District.
Organized by Dr. Paul Vespo and Michael Morlino, the event commemorates the 50th anniversary of Canine Companions, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with special needs, by providing expertly trained service dogs. The event promises both celebration and education, blending interactive booths, canine demonstrations, and a special screening of the Netflix documentary Inside the Mind of a Dog.
Listen Now: Interview with Dr. Paul Vespo and Michael Morlino
But this is more than just an evening of puppy love and cake.
“It’s a fascinating event,” said Dr. Vespo in a recent podcast interview. “It converges the fields of mental health, emotional regulation, and the science of connection.” Maybee, he explains, is not merely a companion—she’s an integral member of the therapeutic team. “She literally brings down cortisol levels in students and staff. The outcomes we’ve seen include fewer hospitalizations, better academic performance, and overall emotional stability.”
The Science Behind the Connection
One of the most fascinating aspects of the event—and of the documentary—is the focus on canine cognition. Service dogs like Maybee are not just trained in obedience but in emotional perception. Research from institutions like Duke and Harvard has shown that dogs possess remarkable cognitive abilities, especially in sensing human emotion through chemical and behavioral cues.
Michael Morlino, Maybee’s primary handler, detailed how these abilities manifest in real-life classroom settings. “When a student is upset, Maybee will gently nudge them with her nose,” he said. “It’s her way of checking in. Sometimes, if the student needs more support, they can use a ‘cover’ command—Maybee gently lays across them, mimicking the effect of a weighted blanket.”
Dogs, it turns out, are equipped with an olfactory system estimated to be 10,000 to 100,000 times more powerful than that of a human. “She can sense stress hormones like cortisol in the air,” Morlino explained. “It’s why she’ll walk over when two people are having a tense conversation—even if they’re not arguing. She just knows.”
A School Model of Support
Fieldstone’s use of a service dog in a therapeutic support classroom is, according to Morlino, part of groundgreaking research in the United States, with Fieldstone as one of the early adopters of in-school service dog usage. Maybee was specifically bred and trained for this purpose, undergoing two years of preparation—from her birth in California to her final training sessions in Medford, Long Island. She now supports children with a range of challenges including anxiety, PTSD, depression, and ADHD.
“The numbers are outstanding,” Morlino said. “We’ve seen less school avoidance, improved classroom behavior, and many students advancing to general education or even honors classes after working with Maybee.”
The ripple effect extends to adults as well. “Even staff members find themselves seeking out a few moments with her during stressful days,” Vespo added. “It’s like having a living, breathing emotional anchor in the building.”
A Community Event for All
The event, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 27 at Fieldstone Middle School’s auditorium, is free and open to the public. Guests can expect a full sensory experience: educational booths, raffles, a “puppy kisses” booth, and demonstrations by other service dogs. One of Maybee’s own trainers, Alex—featured in the documentary—will also be present to share her experience shaping the emotional and behavioral capabilities of these incredible animals.
There will also be cake—a celebratory nod to Canine Companions’ 50 years of life-changing service.
“This is phase one of a broader vision for mental health in North Rockland,” said Vespo. “We’re building something lasting, with canines like Maybee at the heart of it.”
For more on the event, visit rocklandnews.com or follow Maybee on social media at momentswithmaybie on Instagram and @momentswithmaybiee (double ‘ee’) on TikTok.