Pawsitive Learning: Therapy Dogs in Schools (Part 1)
Yellow school buses, joyful playground noise, rows of desks, and…therapy dogs?
That’s right! A few pioneering school speech therapists and other therapy staff are successfully incorporating animal-assisted interventions to engage the students on their caseloads.
Speech-language pathologists Maria Papas, Laura Kruger, and Betty Tedford and school social worker Hannah Young took the time to share their experiences and advice to help promote the benefits of therapy dogs for the Speech Dogs audience.
Since my personal experience with animal-assisted speech therapy has been entirely in the relatively ideal environment of a solo private practice office, I was curious how these professionals had navigated getting started and managing their therapy dogs’ needs as employees of a school district.
I received so much great information that I’ve broken this topic into two in-depth posts. Part one will cover the logistics of partnering with a therapy dog in a school setting and part two will delve into the impact that’s been noted on students and staff alike…
Therapy dog Fletcher partners with social worker Hannah Young at a high school where he helps support nearly 2000 staff and students. Fletcher is a 1 1/2 year old French Brittany.
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Getting Started with a School Therapy Dog
Hannah (@therapydog.fletcher), who partners with her young adult spaniel Fletcher as a high school social worker, was fortunate to be in a large district that already had an established therapy animal program. She had been able to observe a fellow social worker in her building work with a therapy dog, so when she got Fletcher as a puppy she already knew she wanted to train him for the work. The school was very supportive and allowed her to bring him to the building for professional development days and on weekends to train and socialize. She credits the district’s animal-assisted intervention committee, noting they are “very knowledgeable and supportive, so besides getting our paperwork in order it was a smooth process!” Hannah is proud that Fletcher is the youngest therapy dog in their district, having passed testing just a week after his first birthday!
On the other end of the continuum, Betty (@bjt_the_slp), who partners with dogs, a bearded dragon, and horses in her after-school private practice, has struggled to gain approval for animal-assisted intervention from her district. While bearded dragon Willie was recently approved for a special visit at the two elementary schools she works at, risk management has firmly refused to permit even volunteer therapy dogs after a law suit involving neighborhood dogs that entered campus and bit a student. Betty is working to educate staff and administrators on the research supporting therapy dogs while furthering her own education by getting involved with Pet Partners and Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP).
Laura (@blazethespeechdood) and her therapy dog partner Blaze work in Florida at an elementary school as well as a private speech therapy practice on the side (Happy Tails Speech). She and Blaze had already been trained and evaluated for volunteer therapy dog work through Pet Partners when she approached their principal about bringing him to work. She already had her own liability insurance, so after submitting a proposal filled with research on animal-assisted intervention she found getting approval relatively easy.
Maria (@diggity_do) has helped start therapy dog programs in both elementary schools she’s worked at with her partner Diggity. Like Laura, she also educated administrators about the physiological and emotional benefits of therapy dog inclusion and created a therapy dog permission slip that included frequently asked questions for parents. She found the biggest concern her district expressed was allergies, so she shares with families that Diggity is bathed frequently and encourages hand-washing after students interact with him.
Therapy dog Diggity poses with speech-language pathologist Maria Papas at the elementary school where Fridays are “Diggity Day!” She is a 4 year old “limited edition” rescue.
Managing a School Therapy Dog’s Need for Space
All four contributors noted the importance of being your therapy dog’s advocate, ensuring accommodations like a specified break area and easy access to toys, treats, water, and a potty spot throughout the day.
Laura noted that she shares a portable with another SLP with a grassy area right outside, so Blaze acts like it’s his second home.
Hannah, however, was working in a tiny office that could barely hold her and one student, so she successfully advocated for a larger office.
Betty also notes her current space would be far top small to comfortably contain her therapy dog Rick in addition to a group of students. She envisions creating a Friday schedule in which students can opt-in to work with the therapy dog, allowing her more flexibility on those days for frequent breaks to attend to her dog’s needs.
Therapy dog Blaze enjoys spending time on the floor with students at the elementary school where he works full time with speech-language pathologist Laura Kruger. Blaze is a 9 year old Goldendoodle.
Managing a School Therapy Dog around Noises and Crowds
I was especially curious to find out how the three therapy dogs currently working in a school handle the noise and chaos students can create.
Fletcher was faced with a school fire alarm and 1600 kids funneling out of the building on his first day of work, but Hannah found she was more anxious about it than he was. She also noted Fletcher hasn’t seemed bothered by lock-down drills, but that his presence in the hall as drills end has a positive effect on anxious students.
Maria made sure to have extra motivating treats like cheese and chicken on hand to associate loudspeaker announcements with rewards. She’s been fortunate Diggity hasn’t been present during drills, but has a plan in place for how to best remove her from the building just in case.
Laura noted she was mindful to provide training with loud noises from the beginning, and asks office staff to alert her in advance of fire drills so she can be prepared with extra treats. Though Blaze was fine with school-wide assemblies initially, he started giving signs he didn’t want to be at larger gatherings by standing near the door, so now he stays in their office instead. During drills, Blaze seems to enjoy having the kids on the floor with him, but if students are having a hard time staying quiet he’s trained to stay on his spot instead.
At a recent AAAIP mini-conference, Betty found a helpful tip to have a backpack filled with food, water, and stress-relieving toys on hand in case of longer shelter-in-place incidents. She’s also found the PETS acronym from Pet Partners—presence, eye-contact, touch, and speech—to be effective in supporting her therapy dog through unexpected occurences.
When it comes to meetings, Hannah found Fletcher enjoys going to IEP meetings, but he does have three trusted staff members who can watch him if his presence isn’t welcome. She found he doesn’t enjoy larger staff meetings however, so she tries to work her schedule to bring Fletcher on days that are not meeting-heavy. “I want him to have a good day,” she said.
Maria prefers to leave Diggity in her office for a nap during IEP meetings so her complete focus can be on the family and her human team members, though she does lay at Maria’s feet for some staff meetings.
Blaze comes with Laura everywhere and she finds he can be helpful in breaking the ice during stressful moments by giving a loud sigh or being available if an adult team member needs a little comfort. “We used to call him our speech therapy dog, but now he is just our school therapy dog because he goes all over,” she said. Though she or her placement specialist ask parent permission to bring Blaze to IEP meetings, she said no family has ever refused.
Therapy dog Rick, along with his brother Kobi Kai, help speech-language pathologist Betty Tedford provide animal-assisted speech therapy in private practice. Betty is working with school administers to bring Rick to school with her. He is a 1 year old Catahoula/Bulldog/
Australian Shephard mix.
Determining a School Therapy Dog’s Work Hours
Keeping with the theme of being your therapy dog’s advocate, all four contributors shared different experiences finding the right balance of work hours for their canine co-therapists.
Diggity is a lower-energy, very calm therapy dog, so Maria noted, “I have noticed working one day each week is her sweet spot.” They call Fridays “Diggity Day!” and it also gives Maria the ability to schedule kids with allergies or fears earlier in the week.
Laura started off slow with Blaze, who has now been working as a speech therapy dog for five years, but he adapted to the work quickly. “He was missed any day he wasn’t here, so I moved him to full time and he comes with me every day now!”
Fletcher currently works with Hannah three days a week on a fairly set schedule, though she will shift his days a bit depending on what is planned for that week. Since Fletcher is a higher-energy dog, Hannah has worked to develop a morning routine to help him burn off a little excess energy without getting too tired.
Betty finds her two therapy dogs differ significantly in the kind of energy they enjoy being around and how long they like interacting. Even though both do well in the more controlled private practice setting, she knows only one is well suited for a school setting, but plans to continue volunteer visits at an assisted living center with the other.
Considerations for Involving a School Therapy Dog in Groups
Since school therapy is often comprised of groups of students, I asked each contributor how they manage the interactions between kids and their therapy dog.
Since Fletcher is a smaller breed, Hannah says she squats down with him when interacting with kids he doesn’t know well or asks them to take turns petting him. “I am always trying to help educate our students about how to interact with dogs, the importance of calm bodies, etc.” Working in a high school she said most students stay pretty calm, but occasionally the team will experience an excited kid running up to Fletcher and screaming his name.
Maria finds it easier to monitor her therapy dog’s body language with smaller groups, but if a large group is present she makes sure to especially watch Diggity’s tail and paws to keep her from being stepped on, especially since Diggity often lays down. “It is my responsibility to be her advocate and follow her lead always,” so Maria watches for signs Diggity is ready for the interaction to end such as panting, tucking her tail, moving away, licking excessively, yawning, opening her eyes wide, or pinning her ears back.
Laura emphasized teaching rules about approaching Blaze at the beginning of the school year, such as if he removes himself from the group he needs a break and students are not to approach. When walking by lines of students she finds they often want to reach out to pet him, so she watches to make sure they aren’t touching his face or tail. She finds this especially important so the students understand safe and respectful etiquette when they meet other dogs in public places.
These therapy dog-handler teams are obviously committed and innovative in the work they do! But what have they noticed about the impact their school therapy dogs have on students and staff? Follow on Instagram @Speech_Dogs to find out when part two of this post is available.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for more resources check out Dogs in Schools by Helen Lewis and Russell Grigg and other great products on the Animal-Assisted Speech Therapy Materials page.
Maria’s work with Diggity the school speech therapy dog was featured on the SLP Toolkit podcast in September ‘23. Check it out here.
Be sure to download your FREE Roadmap to Partnering with a Speech Therapy Dog to receive updates on how to get your copy of Paws for Progress: Integrating Animal-Assisted Interventions Into Your Speech-Language Pathology Practice, coming from ASHA Press fall ‘24!
May your days be filled with puppy wiggles and children’s giggles,
Sharlet
