02/20/2026
It is with a heavy heart and sadness that we share this update with our JMU community. Calla, our beloved therapy dog, has passed unexpectedly from an undiagnosed cancer. Calla became a JMU Counseling Center therapy dog in 2019 and brought a lot of laughter and joy to everyone she was able to interact with. She was always eager and happy to come to work, helping the Counseling Center front desk staff in greeting students as well as engaging in different campus events such as Paws and Connect and Paws and Relax.
Calla will always be remembered for her hopes and dreams of catching squirrels and her love for walks, bones, and tennis balls.
As some of you may know, one of our front desk staff, Moriah, was Calla’s pet parent and handler. As a way to respect and honor Moriah’s grief, please direct all questions and concerns to Magali Laitem, Animal Assisted Interventions Coordinator. If you would like to have space to process or get additional resources around pet grief, please also reach out to Magali Laitem (laitemmx@jmu.edu).
3/13/15-2/12/26
