Meg Torelli- Opinion piece
Recently, I wrote about therapy dogs in the Clifton, NJ school district. The plan was started by the Assistant Superintendent, Mark Gengaro. He was the district’s first dog handler. Gengaro did research to ensure his initiative would be a success. Clifton now has a pack of goldendoodles, helping students and teachers.
This topic interested me for several reasons. I am a. former NYC teacher and dog lover and owner. I know how much comfort a canine can bring.I see many good possibilities that can better the educational system. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I will share both, so one can understand how successful this change can be to relieve stress in schools.
Therapy dogs are already used in other countries. In 2009, a program, Story Dogs, was started in Australia. This model is quite different, than the Clifton Schools plan. They bring the therapy dogs into elementary schools, but their handlers are outside volunteers. They are trained by their owners and delivered into a school.
They pair children with a dog team and read for 20 minutes, once a week. The pair does this routine throughout the school year. The funding for this endeavor comes from individuals and businesses. The reason this method gathers success because of the non–judgment while reading to a dog. No comments or negative non–verbal cues from a teacher or parent.
I know such a program exists at my local library. Dog assisted programs results in improved skills and help to increase positive attitudes toward learning. Other studies have shown that students who read with therapy dogs have a stronger sense of well–being. This, makes better learners, lower absentee rates, academic engagement and more successful peer relationships.
The Story Dog model from Australia has success. The volunteers bringing in their dogs, even with training, is too risky for schools in the litigious United States. There will be concerns with liability.
There are recognized organizations that train therapy dogs, so they can do what they need in a school. Animal–assisted education (AAE) is specifically for dogs used in a school setting. They chose therapy dogs for their temperament, and need to be calm and obedient. They are trained to provide emotional support, comfort, and companionship to different individuals in various educational sites.
Canines that meet these standards should be considered a resource for schools. As a former teacher who taught in the Bronx, New York, there are many students who are in emotional distress. Ambulances took some. A friendly, comforting pet would be an excellent alternative. They can be used for reading intervention and as a mascot at school events.
A well–run program would limit the time that the dog is working. In my article on the Clifton, NJ District, realizing that one dog couldn’t meet all their needs, they added additional Goldendoodles. They now have four exceptional helpers.
The one actual issue is the cost. Training and purchase could run around $20,000. Other related expenses are daily food and vet bills. There have been many failing remediation with price tags higher than this. Mark Gengaro felt, rather than sending hard to handle students out of the public system, instead using the dogs for emotional interventions. In this case, the money diverted to a private setting may no longer be necessary.
To guarantee success, it requires informing the faculty and school personnel on all things therapy dogs. There needs to be absolute buy in from the staff. Possible handlers need to be identified and vetted. Compared to other educational initiatives, bringing in a therapy dog would be a positive change.
My other thought is once these programs gather more participation and research, training dogs could be a viable career path for high schoolers. This is a possible course, which is booming. It offers an opportunity for students who may not choose to go to college. There could be a chance to use shelter dogs.
I desire to promote therapy dogs in schools. I plan to talk to educators that can get this in place. If any educator would like to help me in this endeavor, please write to me in the comment section and provide your contact info. Dogs bring comfort and happiness. Let’s bring this to our schools.
