Pawsitive Learning: Therapy Dogs in Schools (Part 2)
“I can’t imagine not working with a therapy dog moving forward! I have never been so excited about an intervention!”
Hannah Young, high school social worker and partner to Fletcher (@therapydog.fletcher).
Last post I explored the logistics behind school therapy staff partnering with a dog with help from Hannah as well as animal-assisted speech-language pathologists Maria Papas (@diggity_do), Laura Kruger (@blazethespeechdood), and Betty Tedford (@bjt_the_slp).
In Part Two we’ll find out how these four have observed their therapy dogs impacting students and staff at their respective schools.
Therapy dog Blaze in a mutually enjoyable animal-assisted speech therapy session with a student and partner SLP Laura Kruger.
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Impact of a School Therapy Dog on Students and Staff
Laura noted that Blaze “isn’t scared of behaviors or children who are dysregulated and even goes up to screaming children at times to help soothe them. It’s amazing how dogs are so in touch with human emotions!”
She mentioned an incident at school in which a student had “eloped” from class. Though staff was following him to make sure he was safe, any time an adult approached the boy would run again. Laura approached the boy with Blaze and he laid next to the therapy dog, crying and petting Blaze until he was regulated enough to return to class. Laura knew at that moment that Blaze was going to have an amazing impact by being on campus.
Maria’s favorite moment from this academic year was watching a student who had struggled to connect with others lie on the floor to pet and talk to Diggity. “It was such a sweet and beautiful moment to witness.” She noted that “the connection between a child and therapy dog is one for which verbal communication is not always needed.”
“I am always stunned when my dog demonstrates an intuitive ability to pick out the one in his proximity who needs him most,” Betty noted. “Rick will walk up to a person and either curl up quietly with his head on their feet, or he will place his head in their lap without being asked and make eye contact with them.” Rick’s support of clients at Communication Reigns, Betty’s after-school private practice, is a big reason she is advocating for inclusion of animal-assisted intervention in her district.
Recalling a school slide show in which photos of Fletcher brought overwhelming cheers, Hannah feels that her therapy dog builds school community. He helps promote special activities like homecoming and “wish week” and “makes kids who wouldn’t normally feel connected feel like they are part of something bigger.” Many staff and students even keep treats on hand in anticipation of seeing Fletcher.
Because of Fletcher’s popularity, Hannah has found setting boundaries can be difficult. While she and Fletcher officially work with the special education students, she is often asked to step away to help support general education students in crisis as well. She has had to explain to the fortunately receptive school staff that Fletcher is just one dog trying to support nearly 2000 people!
Hannah and Fletcher tragically experienced a school crisis firsthand when a teacher was lost unexpectedly early this school year.
Fletcher and another district therapy dog took turns supporting the school community as they grieved, but Hannah had never seen the dogs so exhausted. “During that week I was grateful that Fletcher knew deep pressure therapy sitting on student’s laps, and what to do when he encountered screaming, sobbing, and crying.”
Five months later they were approached by a student who thanked Fletcher for helping her through one of the hardest moments of her life.
Therapy dog Fletcher at 11 weeks old. Hannah already knew she wanted to partner with him for animal-assisted interventions in the high school social work she provides.
General Advice on Partnering with a School Therapy Dog
With such great experience amassed between these four contributors, I wanted to know what advice they would give another school-based therapist interested in starting on a therapy dog journey.
Betty has found it interesting to explore different avenues for therapy dog preparation, such as the AKC Canine Good Citizen award and the Pet Partners Team Evaluation. She finds it reassuring to have multiple ways to recognize a dog’s readiness for the work, and also appreciates being able to get affordable liability coverage through AAAIP. Betty acknowledged that training a therapy dog is ongoing and time intensive, “but what a joyful time it has been!”
Maria emphasized considering a rescue dog. “There are so many perfect dogs waiting for their homes who would love to help you bring joy to others!” She thinks of Diggity as a “limited edition” as her DNA test revealed she has about ten different breeds in her genetics!
Hannah mentioned that “the pace of my work initially slowed down as we adjusted to working together. I do love that if forces me to take breaks, go outside, and smell the flowers.”
Laura summed up the journey of school therapy dogs with the advice, “Don’t wait! I wish I’d started at my school sooner with [Blaze].” While she acknowledges that not all dogs will be a good fit for the work, she is proud to have proved one trainer wrong who said Blaze wouldn’t like working in a school.
Therapy dog Diggity inspires a love of books as part of her work providing animal-assisted speech therapy with partner SLP Maria Papas.
A Future Filled with School Therapy Dogs?
Laura, Hannah, Maria, and Betty all agree they hope to always work with a therapy dog, having seen the impact they make. Maria fell in love with how motivated kids can be when including a dog in their session. “It honestly felt magical and still does!”
Laura knows that a day will come when Blaze, now nine, will need to retire. She is already considering adding a second dog to her family that could allow her to continue animal-assisted therapy long-term.
Speech therapy dog Rick, with brother and fellow therapy dog Kobi Kai, poses with a resource for school-based therapy dog handlers. Rick partners with SLP Betty Tedford in private practice but will hopefully soon be included at an elementary school as well.
Thanks to these four therapy dog-handler teams and the others out there who are blazing a path for future school-based therapists, we can envision a future in which animal-assisted interventions are a more widely recognized option for reaching students with special learning needs!
If you’re looking for more resources in order to get started, check out Dogs in Schools by Helen Lewis and Russell Grigg and other great products on the Animal-Assisted Speech Therapy Materials page.
Check out Laura Kruger’s work with speech therapy dog Blaze featured in an ASHA Leader article and on the SLP Coffee Talk podcast.
Don’t forget 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
