Across the country, schools have started to implement the use of therapy dogs to improve the experiences of students. Our school would greatly benefit from following suit and obtaining a therapy dog of our own.
An important distinction many miss is the difference between an emotional support dog, a service dog and a therapy dog.
An emotional support dog is typically a much looser term, and, according to the American Kennel Club, “Emotional support dogs have no definition or special access rights under the ADA.” They are essentially a companion animal with the purpose of easing various emotional struggles. They do not have much access to public spaces and are not trained like other animals.
On another hand, service dogs are trained to assist with specific disabilities and are allowed in almost all public places.
However, a therapy dog is different from either of these. A therapy dog is not trained to work with one specific person, but instead works with a large number of different people. They provide comfort and overall intend to make people feel calmer and more relaxed.
The benefits of a school therapy dog would be astronomical. Many teenagers have busy schedules and packed course loads that cause stress, and even a simple pause to pet a dog in their day could bring comfort.
Alexis Czarnecki, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Clinical Trauma Professional-II and Equine Assisted Psychotherapist for Anchor Counseling, works daily with Maeve, a therapy dog. Anchor Counseling provides therapy and counseling in Illinois. As Maeve’s handler, Czarnecki currently takes care of Maeve and assisted in training her earlier on in her therapy dog career.
A research review from staff members at Georgia Southern University said, “[M]uch evidence supports the emotional and social benefits of children interacting with a dog in the classroom,” and, “[I]t is evident that the benefits of utilizing a therapy dog within a classroom outweigh the reservations.”
The use of a therapy dog in a school setting not only has empirical evidence of benefits, but these benefits have been seen in our school. There have been steps made to use animals to help students. On certain testing days, North brings in volunteers with their dogs. Students are overjoyed when dogs are brought in. They walk into the LRC to see the dogs, and leave feeling happier and less stressed.
There are even broader upsides of a therapy dog than fun or quick comfort they may provide.
“Animals bring this natural connection and comfort that sometimes humans can’t do. As a therapist, sometimes we see people, and their biggest trauma or betrayal has come from another human. And so sometimes, that can’t be repaired by a human. And so I’ve seen some really powerful experiences with Maeve, where her presence alone begins that healing process without even engaging in any sort of very direct activities or approaches,” said Czarnecki.
Though some may worry that having a dog in a classroom or school setting could be a distraction, it has generally shown to be the opposite. Czarnecki worked with high school students by bringing Maeve into the classroom.
“I saw a lot of people’s anxiety settled, and people were still willing to work,” said Czarnecki.
North should begin the process of getting a therapy dog. The benefits that would spread to staff and students alike would be more than worth the trouble of implementing this change.
“A therapy animal can really bring stress levels down, increase confidence and feel like a part of something, because that animal is going to connect with them, even when their peers won’t,” said Czarnecki.
