No matter who you are, what you look like or do, a dog will love you, no matter what! With stress piling up in schools across the country, it’s time to take that love into classrooms. Certified Therapy Dogs are a new way to reduce stress and improve life in the classroom. I think that CTD’s will be a wonderful addition to any classroom, despite the few cons to having one in the class, the positives will shine.
Classrooms today are bright, modern, colorful and welcoming. But yet, these warm rooms are filled with the constant stress of students, teachers and even parents! The same is for hospitals and nursing homes. A hospital will be big and bright, with children’s paintings all over, but with people with constant IVs and machines running, or people limited to a wheelchair or walker, family members hearing a loved one is sick or has died, you can imagine why the environment is so stressful. How we can decrease this stress is a question very commonly asked. But, the American Kennel Club may have come up with an answer. They’re called Therapy Dogs. A Certified Therapy Dog (CTD) is a dog who has passed a series of tests to be allowed in hospitals, nursing homes and schools. These tests might include allowing a stranger to talk to the owner/handler, sit/lie down nicely while being pet by strangers, walk on a loose leash, come on command, sit and lie down on command, walk calmly in a hectic crowd and much more! Like service dogs for the blind, deaf or immobilized, Therapy Dogs are considered working dogs. This is a great addition to just about any stressful environment, because petting a dog has been proven to lower blood and stress levels.
So… why should we be letting them in schools?
Stress/Bullying
When State Tests come around the corner (or tests of any kind) kids’ stomachs drop. The text books come out, and kids are working around the clock studying, while teachers drill into their heads about math, ELA and proper punctuation. This is building so much excessive stress on children and teachers that does not need to be there! If you are all stressed and under-rested, you are not going to do as well on the test as you would when you were calm and confident. According to www.webmd.com, pets can “help lower blood pressure, lessen anxiety, and even boost our immunity.” Kids with better immunity will miss less school, keeping them up-to date on what is happening in the classroom. When you get stressed, your blood pressure will rise and you will become anxious. What better a way to rid of that then with a dog?
Not only can our furry friends decrease stress, but they can also decrease bullying. Certain schools have tested this theory, and here’s what they said (courtesy of Cesar’s Way magazine) “This is a powerful anti-bullying tool. We all know that bullying comes from feeling of inadequacy. If you can address the problem right away, if you can give the kids the attention they need in a safe space, their self-confidence will grow and those feelings of inadequacy will diminish.” –Kelly O’Leary, principal in CT. Or take this… “Empathy is easily the most important trait needed to decrease bullying. The confidence student’s gain from confronting the bully creates an environment in which bullies don’t feel comfortable continuing their behavior. Visits to my office about bullying have definitely decreased since beginning the program.” – Matt Spade, a principal in KY. Can you imagine that? We could cut the number of bullies dramatically!
Responsibility
Responsibility is a key element to good grades, a good job and a successful life. Irresponsible children may not do homework, listen to rules or attend class. If you aren’t doing homework, you aren’t understanding the lesson, or obeying rules. If you aren’t attending class, you will be behind in just about anything. If you are irresponsible and have bad grades, this can affect you for the rest of your life! How can a CTD help with this, you might ask? Caring for a dog teaches kids very important skills like empathy and responsibility. Caring for a dog is a hard task, but when you do, you get unconditional love. When children walk, feed, groom and play with a dog, they are doing chores they may enjoy, and teaching them the responsibility of looking after something and taking care of it. Attendance may also improve, because the children will enjoy coming to school, and caring for the dog. Not only that, but kids who really enjoy this may decide to build a career out of it. It can help them to pave a career path do working with dogs and other animals.
When kids read, one thing a lot of kids fear is criticism from teachers, parents, other adults and even friends and fellow students. But an organization called “See Spot Read” is out to fix that problem. See Spot Read works with children (from Kindergarten to 5th Grade) who cannot/have trouble reading. Instead of reading to adults and fearing the criticism they might get, the children read to a CTD. How great is that? The dog will lie down and sit with the child, as the child reads and pets the dog without any adults. This can also help the kids learn about animal behavior, and make speaking to adults easier.
These dogs can help with the guidance office and speeches, too! When you go to guidance, many kids become nervous before hand, but having a furry friend may be able to alleviate that stress. Students will also be less likely to stumble as they are giving a speech or presentation when they have a dog by their side.
The benefits of having a CTD in a classroom are as clear as day. Children can strive to succeed in the classroom without force or punishment with this simple solution. Literacy skills will improve drastically, improving grades, and making speeches and announcements a breeze. Bullying levels can plunge with a dog in the classroom, and empathy skills will be learned. Career ideas will be planted, and each time a child cares for a CTD, the seed will be watered and will grow! Stress levels and health will also improve, helping children learn better in school in an enviorment enjoyable for everyone, teachers, students and dogs alike.
However, like all things, there are a few drawbacks to this wonderful solution. The second most common allergy* in the country is pet hair, according to www.testcountry.com. If children have allergies to a dog, they may become ill or unable to participate in the classroom activities. The pet hair may also be an issue visually, as pet hair tends to show up just about everywhere. This issue, however, can be fixed by making sure the CTD is a specific breed that sheds little, or not at all. Like just about everyone knows, sometimes dogs don’t smell too pleasant. This may pose a problem to anyone who enters the classroom. A dog in the classroom may also pose as a distraction to students who want to play with the dog, during important discussions or tests.
The cons in this wonderful tool can be fixed if people are willing to take the chance, and the benefits will be clear. Bullying is increasing in schools all across the world, but this program will reduce these numbers significantly. Dogs teach important skills like empathy, which can help teach kids to treat others with respect. The attendance records are also a big issue, with kids skipping class and being sick. Since pets can lower stress levels, kid’s immunity will become stronger, and they will be sick less often. I personally have been working with my dog, Harper, to become a Certified Therapy Dog, and with hard work and commitment, these pets will become a wonderful addition to any classroom.
http://www.testcountry.org/the-10-most-common-allergy-triggers-in-the-united-states.htm
http://kokomotribune.com/local/x546228638/Dog-teaching-students-responsibility-teamwork
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/health-benefits-of-pets
Cesar’s Way Magazine