Doodles at School

[Kathy Wilson]

Well, at the tender age of 60, I'll be completing my California Teaching Credential and my M.Ed. Finally! What I want to know is this: Does anyone know of teachers who take their dog(s) to school with them as therapy dogs? I know of several private schools who allow this but so far have not heard of this happening in a public school. Please let me know what you might know about this.

[Adina P]

I think the biggest obstacle would be the liability issue. Delta Society and TDI, I believe, cover therapy dog teams with liability insurance but only when they are in a volunteer role--not if the dog is part of the employees daily work. So the school would have to be okay with that and willing to cover you and the dog--OR--you'd have to get separate coverage and the school would have to be okay with that too.

You would also have to have JUST the right dog for this. The Delta society manual talks at length about 'stress' and minding your dog's stress level and not making him work longer than the two of you can handle. Also you'd have to have a way to contain the dog when the dog is not being directly supervised (crate in the class?). I think it's doable, but may take some legwork and A LOT of training to be sure that dog is not just a registered therapy dog but mature enough to spend a day in a classroom and pretty darn fool proof around people, kids, etc.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

I don't think most schools look at the quality of what a Therapy Dog and using them as a teaching tool could mean to all students. Our high school mascots are the Dieruff Husky's, closetest thing to getting any dog into that school, they had no real training back in the days (lol). It's amazing how they could let those dogs in a packed gym of school kids and officials for their Football Rally's, and do this to this day...and NO ONE complains...or Cry's "I GOT ALLERGIES"...but yet you have to fight to get a dog in a classroom to help teach kids in need?

[Kathy Wilson]

{{{{{{{Ginny}}}}}}} Thankyou SO much for this article! This is what I want to do when I get my doodle. Hopefully this article will help to convince the folk at school to allow her to accompany me.
Sometimes I wish I were retiring also, but then I get so excited when a student has a breakthrough or when they come up and give me hugs and shout my name, that I realize I'm in just the right place. Hopefully I'll teach until I'm somewhere near 70. If I retire before that, I'll become a volunteer reading coach.

[Ginny Nightingale]

By the way, I have been a teacher for 34 years and I am RETIRING in June!! Good luck to you! :)

[Ginny Nightingale]

Found the link to the article. Here it is
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/goldendoodle-is-a-caring

[Ginny Nightingale]

Our elementary school has a goldendoodle that is at the school all day as a reading dog, but also goes out on the playground, etc. I posted an article on doodlekisses with pictures a few weeks ago. Maybe you can find it if you search the discussions. The school is Mary E. Dardess Elementary school in Chatham, NY. (www.chathamcentralschools.com)