Supporting Schools with Therapy Dogs: One School’s Experience
By Dr. Chad M. Watters, Tracey DeRosier and Dr. Rachel Holler
The Pennsylvania Administrator, Vol. 26, No. 1, Winter 2022. Posted with permission from the Pennsylvania Principals Association.
Figuring out what school was going to look and feel like during the global pandemic has been challenging, and looking for ways to honor and celebrate the seniors of the Class of 2021 as they concluded their high school career, in the manner they deserved, was no easy feat. On Friday, June 4, 2021, the Central Bucks School District (CBSD) hosted a modified prom at The Fuge in Warminster, with dining inside and dancing outside under the stars. The weather was perfect, our students were dressed to the nines and they danced it out until the celebration wrapped up at 10:30 p.m. The evening was a complete success.
Central Bucks East High School prom tweet.
Everything changed on Saturday morning with one phone call. We had learned that after the prom, there had been a horrible car accident in the Poconos involving four of our students resulting in one fatality, one student in critical condition and two others with non-life-threatening injuries.
We quickly had to pivot from basking in the glow of a wonderfully successful prom to planning how to best support our students and staff through this tragedy. Our crisis response required the coordination of internal and external resources to support students, staff and the larger community. Of all the external resources organized and provided to our school, all of which served important and valuable roles, none were more consistently utilized by our students and staff like the Roxy Therapy Dogs.
Central Bucks East High School teacher, Sara Yoder (center), pictured with Roxy Therapy Dogs.
On Monday morning, volunteer therapy dog teams were positioned in our atrium to welcome and greet our students and staff. The presence of the dogs created a magnetic attraction drawing people together. A safe space was created for students to be mindful with their own thoughts, while for others, it was a time to be together to casually engage in conversation to process their thoughts and feelings. And for others, the presence of the dogs created a state of normalcy...permission to smile, to laugh and to talk about something else when it might not have felt appropriate to do so otherwise. With each interaction, the stress level throughout the school began to gradually reduce; the healing process had begun, and it was incredibly powerful to witness.
What was most moving was how the contact comfort of the therapy dog teams engaged the most quiet and reserved students, and, in some cases, these would be the same students who would never seek out an adult for support. We responded by placing key staff members throughout the atrium who could observe the interactions, casually stepping in to engage, building quick rapport with students through the shared experience and triaging as needed. This ensured anyone who needed an individual check-in, or a higher level of support, was connected with the appropriate resources.
With the support of the therapy dog teams, we were able to create a calm and safe school environment to support our school community through the roller coaster of emotions that concluded the 2020- 21 school year.
If your school or district does not have a therapy dog program, we encourage you to consider exploring this type of program. The CBSD has a long-standing relationship with the Roxy Therapy Dogs. The program began in 2005 with founder, Diane Smith, offer- ing therapy dog visits at her son’s elementary school with her dog, Roxy. Students with reading challenges were encouraged to read to Roxy. This single classroom visit grew into five programs within the Central Bucks community (https://www.roxytherapydogs.org/). Currently, 80 therapy dog teams support and comfort school-aged children in the following programs: Elementary School Reading Inspiration, Student Specialized Support, Secondary School Stress Relief, Courthouse Companionship and Pediatric Comfort. As an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the mission is to support children through friendly, calm and loving therapy dog visits. Therapy teams (handler and dog) complete rigorous training and achieve state and team certifications through approved agencies, and volunteers range from high school students to retired couples to working professionals.
What are the first steps you can take if you would like to advocate for a therapy dog program in your school or district? If you are looking for research to highlight the benefits of the human-canine relationship, look no further than the Roxy Therapy Dogs website (https://www.roxytherapy dogs.org/benefits-of-animal-therapy). In addition to research, the organization’s most recent initiative is a Certificate of Excellence program to offer professional learning opportunities for not only therapy dog teams but also for other audiences such as parents, health care providers and educators (https://www.roxytherapydogs.org/ certificate-of-excellence). Recent programs focused on insights into the child with autism and insights into the mental health and emotional wellness of children and are available on the website. The latest program in October-November 2021 focused on responding to traumatic events affecting children and was created in part to better prepare handlers and their dogs to respond to circumstances like the tragedy after the prom. Registering for one or more of these programs may also support a school or district before taking the next step with a therapy dog program.
An additional source for research to advocate for a therapy dog program is the Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation (https://habri.org/research), where you will find an online research hub that houses, classifies and archives research and information on the science of the human-animal bond. For example, numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that there is a positive effect on endocrine responses after interaction with a companion animal (Odendaal & Meintjes, 2003). More specifically for adolescents, a review of multiple studies concluded that animal-assisted therapy can improve adolescents’ mental wellness, quality of life and long-term mental health conditions, particularly for those who have experienced trauma (Hoagwood, Acri, Morrissey & Peth-Pierce, 2017).
What about students with dog allergies? Thankfully, allergies do not present a challenge very often. Every parent must submit a permission slip for their child before a therapy dog will visit a classroom. Some students with mild allergies may be able to touch the dogs but must wash their hands right after the visit. Some parents will provide permission for their child to be across the classroom from the dog due to their allergy. In certain severe cases, the therapy dog team will not visit that particular classroom for the year. After over 15 years of visiting classrooms, the growth of the program is a testament to its success – and the benefits outweigh any logistical challenges, including allergies.
While we sincerely hope that your school or district does not face a traumatic event, it is comforting to know that a therapy dog program is available to support students during times of wellness as well as times of crisis. Please reach out to any of us to learn more about the benefits of therapy dog teams and how you can take the next steps to make them a part of your school community!
For additional information, please contact the authors at: cwatters@cbsd.org; tderosier@cbsd.org; and rholler@bucksiu.org
References
Hoagwood, K. E., Acri, M., Morrissey, M. & Peth-Pierce, R. (2017). Animal-assisted therapies for youth with or at risk for mental health problems: A systematic review. Applied Developmental Science, 21(1), 1-13.
Odendaal, J. & Meintjes, R. A. (2003, May 1). Neurophysiological correlates of affiliative behaviour between humans and dogs. The Veterinary Journal, 165.3, 296-301.
About the Authors
Dr. Chad M. Watters taught for 10 years in the Central Bucks School District (CBSD) and is in his 16th year as an administrator. He has been a principal at the elementary and middle levels and is the proud principal of Central Bucks High School East. Dr. Watters holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in educational leadership.
Tracey DeRosier has been an administrator in the CBSD for the last four years, proudly serving as the House Principal of the Class of 2021 and Class of 2024 at Central Bucks High School East. Previously, she served the Hat- boro-Horsham School District as a high school social studies teacher and assistant principal for 19 years. Mrs. DeRosier holds a bachelor’s degree in history and secondary social studies education and a master’s degree in education.
Rachel Holler, Ed.D., is an Assistant Executive Director at the Bucks County Intermediate Unit (IU), and has been with the Bucks IU for the past six years. Dr. Holler has been a member of the PA Principals Association since 2002, serving as both a middle and high school principal for seven years in the Norristown Area School District. She also serves on the Roxy Therapy Dogs Board of Directors.