Research states that 82% of teenagers today recognize that they suffer from medium to high stress levels during the school year, and 46% of teachers feel exposed to high stress in their daily lives

Our emotional state conditions our whole life; it is the engine of our daily experiences in school and influences student performance. School is often blamed for being too focused on the cognitive aspect of learning, putting the academic contents at the center of the programs, but neglecting how they should be taken in. Just think of the effectiveness with which a motivated and interested student is able to achieve good results compared to a listless and under-stimulated classmate.

This is why therapy dogs are being used more frequently to target Social Emotional Learning (SEL) goals. Educators are realizing the need to place the emphasis on putting the emotional aspect on the same level as the cognitive one in learning. Focus is being placed upon learning to manage one’s feelings, not only in terms of self-control, but also of self-awareness, ability to set goals and relate to others. These goals are often being included in school district strategic planning by targeting student wellness.

The presence of therapy dogs has been proven to reduce stress in the academic environment. The Nor’wester organization routinely works with guidance counselors, in alternative schools, on college campuses, in social/emotional classes, and offers crisis intervention services. All of these therapy dog visits target the emotional needs of students. The wise teacher adapts the therapy dog visits to specifically address needs of individual students. IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and academic goals for students drive the lesson plans while the dog is visiting. The therapy dog team becomes an important teaching tool and often reaches students in ways that normal strategies are not successful.

Targeting social and emotional learning improves pupils’ academic performance. They also demonstrate better school behaviors, a greater ability to manage stress, and a more confident attitude towards themselves, towards others and towards the school. And when you put a therapy dog into the equation, a higher percentage of students experience positive strides in learning successful coping methods.

Mike Nelson and his teachers work together closely. They communicate weekly regarding the expectations the teacher has for the upcoming therapy dog visit.  Mike then offers suggestions about what he and Bubba can do to enhance the goals set for the visit.  This collaboration has produced amazing results and supports the mission and vision of the Nor’wester canine partners in education program.

Mike shares: “Most classrooms have a Smartboard. I will supply the teachers with photos of Bubba with labels such as “math,” “spelling,” and “reading.”  The teachers then load the photos onto the Smartboard and use them throughout the week (not just during the hour that Bubba visits) to encourage and motivate the students. Teachers often use Bubba as an incentive: “Bubba will be here Friday, and he is eager to hear you read your book!”

It wasn’t long before the directors of the Nor’wester organization sensed that Mike and Bubba would be great in special education classes. They started with special needs children at Warwick House in Hartsville. Warwick is a residential facility, so children live there while emotional support and crisis intervention occurs. The Bucks County Intermediate Unit provides special education & emotional support teachers so the children can continue their academic studies while living at Warwick House.

The teacher at Warwick observed very quickly that Bubba had a very calming effect upon the students, which made it easier for them to focus on their assignments and make progress. Mike shared: “Bubba will sit or lie by their feet and listen to them read or do math flash cards. Each student has a chance to brush Bubba and choose a trick for Bubba to perform. Bubba is loved dearly, and he has received cards and books created by the students. Each Christmas Bubba gives the students a small stuffed likeness with a tag that says STUDY WITH ME. One Christmas the children and teacher gave Bubba a beautiful collar which he still wears.”

Then the Nor’wester directors asked Mike if he would take Bubba to help brain damaged/special needs students at Council Rock High School – North. Some are partially paralyzed; others are deaf or blind, non-verbal, and with limited attention spans.

Bubba works with the teachers and therapists to bring out the best in all of them. The teachers are very creative and often use Bubba in a group setting. One child would not speak or look at any adult. After a few months he had a one-word vocabulary, “Bubba,” and he would look at Bubba and Mike. 

Many of the students are nonverbal and use their tablets to answer questions. Their tablets have a special page for Bubba with commands or phrases such as “Bubba, sit,” “Bubba, beg,” “Brush Bubba” and “Goodbye, Bubba.” As a group they select Bubba cards with numbers. The number determines in what order they will do an activity with Bubba.  Some favorite activities are brushing Bubba and teaching him tricks. The students will help demonstrate a trick while Bubba watches. Then they all watch to see if Bubba can do the trick.  Mike always gives them full credit for training his dog.

This year on Friday mornings you will find Bubba at Bensalem and Friday afternoons at Council Rock North. The teachers at both high schools think out of the box creatively and use technology to support how they use Bubba in their classrooms. The students and teachers at both high schools love Bubba and recently presented him with a red and yellow hand-sewn Super Dog Hero Cape. In addition, Bubba is working with an autistic support class at Maple Point Middle School in Neshaminy.

Bubba creates magic wherever he goes. Mike claims the magic formula for a therapy dog is:

Golden Retriever PLUS excellent training PLUS Nor’wester’s vision PLUS creative, dedicated teachers EQUALS Bubba, an amazing therapy dog.

hand to paw – relieving test anxiety

It’s common for students to experience anxiety when anticipating the PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) testing, which is administered to third and fifth graders in Pennsylvania elementary schools. Teachers do whatever they can to encourage their students to be confident and comfortable about taking the test.                                                                                                      

Last spring a teacher at Richboro Elementary in the Council Rock School District had a third grade boy who was extremely anxious about taking the PSSA test. She was concerned that it would seriously impede his focus so he wouldn’t be able perform to the best of his ability.                                                              

Knowing that the Nor’wester organization is available to work with guidance counselors and in crisis intervention, the teacher called on Wendi Huttner who was visiting Richboro weekly with Bode, a yellow Lab that belongs to her son Blake.

Wendi and Bode made an emergency visit to the school and spent about 30 minutes one on one with the student in the guidance counselor’s office. Bode’s calm and cheerful demeanor helped the boy to relax, and at the end of the visit he declared to Wendi and the guidance counselor, “I’m OK now. Let me go take the test!”   

by Jan Reisen 

Published on American Kennel Club website: July 31, 2019 

Dogs have been aiding and working with humans since ancient times, in everything from farming to hunting to protection and more. Service dogs, emotional support animals, and therapy dogs all fulfill important roles in their aid to humans, but the terms are not interchangeable: each is specifically defined, both in terms of their jobs and their legal rights.

What Do Service Dogs Do?

As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service dogs are individually trained to perform specific tasks and to work with people with disabilities. According to the ADA, disabilities can be “physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” The work of the service dog must be directly related to the handler’s disability. These are just some of the things a service dog can do:

Guide dogs help blind people navigate in the world.

Hearing (or signal) dogs alert deaf people to sounds, such as a knock on the door or a person entering the room.

Psychiatric dogs are trained to detect and lessen the effects of a psychiatric episode.

Service dogs help those in wheelchairs or who are otherwise physically limited. They may open doors or cabinets, fetch things their handler can’t reach, and carry items for their handler.

Autism assistance dogs are trained to help those on the autism spectrum to distinguish important sensory signals, such as a smoke alarm, from other sensory input. They may also alert their handler to repetitive behaviors or overstimulation.

Service dogs that are trained to recognize seizures and will stand guard over their handler during a seizure or go for help.

What Rights Do Service Dogs Have?

The ADA mandates that service dogs have full public access rights, which means they are allowed to go places where are animals are forbidden. They can be brought into restaurants, stores, libraries, and other public spaces. They must be permitted in housing, even if other pets are not allowed. Service dogs are also allowed on airplanes and other public transport. One caveat: each airline has its own rules regarding service dogs. Most require that the dog sits on the traveler’s lap or at their feet. Dogs cannot block the aisle or sit in the emergency exit row. Service dogs are exempt from the pet fees that airlines charge.

What Do Emotional Support Animals Do?

Emotional support dogs are not considered service dogs under the ADA. They may be trained for a specific owner, but they are not trained for specific tasks or duties to aid a person with a disability, and this is the main difference between ESAs and service dogs. This doesn’t minimize the support these dogs provide for people with a psychological disorder. They’re considered companion animals and ease anxiety, depression, some phobias, and loneliness.  In order to be considered an emotional support dog, it must be prescribed by a mental health professional for a patient with a diagnosed psychological or emotional disorder, such as anxiety disorder, major depression, or panic attacks.

What Rights Do Emotional Support Animals Have?

Unlike service dogs, ESAs have only limited legal rights and those typically require a letter of diagnosis from the owner’s doctor or psychiatrist. While they don’t have unlimited access to public spaces, the Fair Housing Act mandates “reasonable accommodations” for emotional support animals even in buildings that don’t allow pets. The Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to allow ESAs on flights, but travelers must have a letter from a doctor or licensed therapist. There may be additional requirements as well. Because so many people abuse the concept of an emotional support animal, including the traveler who tried to bring an “emotional support peacock” on board a United Airlines flight, airlines are tightening restrictions on emotional support animals. We can expect other commercial and public spaces to follow.

What is a Therapy Dog?

Therapy dogs play a different helping role than service dogs and emotional support animals. They aren’t trained to live with a specific handler. Rather, these are dogs that — with their human teammate (often the dog’s owner) — volunteer in clinical settings, such as hospitals, mental health institutions, hospices, schools, and nursing homes, where they provide comfort, affection, and even love in the course of their work. Therapy dogs are trained to be comfortable in new environments and to interact with different people. They should have a calm temperament, be unfazed by unfamiliar noises and movements, be comfortable being handled, and love people.

Do Therapy Dogs Have Legal Rights?

Although they are defined as comfort dogs and often used in therapeutic settings, therapy dogs are not considered service dogs under the ADA and don’t have the same legal right to access in public spaces. There are no uniform state or national rules that regulate and certify therapy dogs, and different organizations have different guidelines. As a general rule, therapy dogs should be trained, insured, and licensed by the non-profit that’s offering their services.

Can My Dog Be a Therapy Dog?

If you’re interested in volunteering and think your dog may be a great candidate to be a therapy dog, organizations like the Alliance of Therapy Dogs test dog for their suitability and, if accepted, have guidelines that must be followed.

While it doesn’t certify therapy dogs, the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program offers their training program to organizations, and the CGC test is often a prerequisite required by therapy dog organizations.

Howard Barkan with Winnie and Debbie Glessner with Hannah and Heidi did ESY (extended school year) visits to Goodnoe Elementary in Council Rock School District to work with Lindsay Hawthorne’s class. One of her students, Nate Whitney, wrote about his experiences with Winnie and Hannah.

Petting Hannah

Therapy Dogs

By Nate Whitney

My experience with any dog before I was with the therapy dogs was not very easy for me. I would be terrified to be near any dog. It was pretty upsetting for me because when I would go out in public and there would be a dog, it would be extremely stressful for me.

When I started seeing Hannah, I was nervous, but I didn’t expect for me to become so good with her. As time went on, and Hannah and I had more visits, the better I got with her. Each time I saw her I would do something that I was too nervous to do the last time (for example, walking Hannah or petting Hannah on the head). When I would do something that I couldn’t do the last time, I felt pretty proud of myself and what I have accomplished. 

I definitely think that my experiences with Hannah have helped me a good amount in public situations with dogs. I wouldn’t be as nervous and stressed out when near dogs. A couple of things I loved about Hannah was how gentle she was and how she would know that I was scared and wouldn’t do certain things (for example, she wouldn’t sniff my hand or kiss me because she knew I was nervous,) to make me comfortable. Also, I loved how calm she was.

Later on, during ESY (Extended School Year), I met Winnie. At first, I was extremely nervous because it seemed that Winnie was a little more energetic than Hannah. As time went on, I realized that Winnie is just as gentle as Hannah. I would (just like with Hannah) start to do things I wouldn’t do the last time. 

The first time I saw Winnie I was too scared to even touch her. Now I can pet Winnie and I feel more comfortable with her. When I would pet Winnie, it would feel like a great accomplishment for me because the first time I couldn’t even go near her.I enjoyed my time with the therapy dogs very much because it has helped me a lot with social situations with dogs. I appreciate all the help and skills that they have given to me.

Getting to know Winnie

“I truly do not think there is enough time in my lifetime to fully express how much Kerrigan and Cathy Guenzel have made a difference in my classroom this year.  As I type this, I am preparing the room for our “Last Day with Kerrigan” celebration.  For our celebration, each student will be receiving a bound book of all their writing which was inspired by Kerrigan this year.  From imagining what Kerrigan would wear for Halloween, to writing about him taking a trip to see Santa on the Polar Express, to a Tall “Tail” that involved Kerrigan wrestling rattlesnakes and wild monkeys in Brazil—he inspired it all.  Cathy will be presented with a complete book of their work and pictures I took.  The book is about 3 inches thick.                                                                                                                                                                                         Not only did he and Cathy inspire my students writing and reading confidence, he also inspired their hearts.  One of my favorite quotes is from Aristotle:” Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”  No one embodies this quote more than Cathy and Kerrigan.  I have students in my class that suffer emotionally and/or mentally due to attention issues or an inner battle with depression and anxiety.  Kerrigan has eased their little minds and given them something to look forward to each week.  There were days where Cathy would turn to me with a smile and say, “I don’t think we’ve gotten much work done!” and I’d reply, “What you’re doing is more important than the worksheet they need to complete.”  She and Kerrigan successfully touched their hearts and minds each week with compassion, dedication and love.                                                                                                                                                   Thank you from the bottom of my heart for finding the perfect match for my special little group of children, and I look forward to continuing to work with this fantastic team.” 

(KC – Richboro Elementary, Council Rock)

“Your program is priceless! Each year I have seen my lower reluctant readers grow into confident readers. Priceless! Today, as we were sitting in a group in our reading center, a student stated, “Marley is a good listener, and Miss Tricia is a good teacher.” Priceless! I asked the group what their favorite thing about Marley was – all answered, “Reading to her!” Priceless! The program has also motivated my students to be excited about writing. During the year I take pictures of Marley and the students. Then the students use the pictures as prompts to write in their journals. It’s amazing how the non-writers become writers when they start writing about Marley. Priceless! My students LOVE to escort Marley, to pet Marley, to read to Marley, to write about Marley, and to read their written stories to Marley! Priceless! Thank you for allowing us to participate in your wonderful program.”  (DG – Goodnoe, Council Rock)

“There was one child in my class who was having difficulty being a flexible thinker and would often become frustrated. Throughout the year, I worked with this student to use strategies to help him become unstuck. On one occasion early in the school year, the student was “stuck,” and Laila had just entered the classroom. The student reluctantly went over to Laila to read to her. After having some time to chill out and pat Laila, he became more positive in his thinking and was able to enjoy the rest of the day. Throughout the school year, Laila became a positive influence for this student, and in turn, he made great gains in becoming a more flexible thinker and controlling his frustration independently.”  (LS – The Center School, Abington) 

“Michele Lecker and her therapy dog have been a wonderful asset to our school and students. On the days they visit, the entire mood of the school changes. It can be an emotionally rough day for some students which often affects the entire school. When Michele and Rory are present, there is a sense of peace and tranquility. It is truly amazing to see the transformation.  One of our students who was working on her graduation project changed her topic halfway through to do her project on therapy dogs. She did a wonderful presentation, completed a brochure, and was very enthusiastic about the project.”  (JH – The Sloan Alternative School, Council Rock)

“Our students have struggled with significant personal issues this year, including eating disorders, OCD, anxiety, depression, family illness, lack of academic motivation, etc. Mrs. Grossman and Blu’s visits helped brighten the day of students who otherwise have real difficulty connecting with others. There are several students who would light up with Blu’s presence. One student struggled with severe anxiety and depression this year, but Blu’s visit was the one time when this 17 year old would smile and become engaged with the class. It was amazing to witness the transformation.”            (SG/LR – Council Rock High School -South)

By Carol VanSant

One therapy dog job that almost everyone is familiar with is to help people manage grief. It doesn’t matter whether it is a large tragedy or an individual personal loss, therapy dogs help alleviate the pain. If you have done any reading about the benefits of therapy dogs, you may know that petting a dog lowers your blood pressure and naturally releases endorphins to help you feel better. This benefit is especially helpful when dealing with grief. As a handler volunteering for Nor’wester Therapy Dogs, you don’t expect to encounter grief during your visits to your assigned classroom. It does happen, though.

My therapy dog, Violet, had the privilege of helping Sydney, one of her fourth grade students, through the very personal loss of her family’s dog. One of the ways Violet helped was by having surgery herself. Sydney’s expression of her feelings in the get well card she wrote to Violet illustrates the importance of a therapy dog’s presence during this time in her life. I’d like to share the get well card Sydney wrote with you. I’d also like to thank Sydney for helping me feel better!

Carla Foy grew up in Bethlehem, PA. Her father was an airline pilot, and her mother owns a used/rare bookstore called The Old Library Bookshop. She has always loved children and teaching, and she was encouraged by her grandmother to pursue education as a career. Before coming to Council Rock, she taught in a Catholic school in Princeton, NJ, and a year in Trenton, NJ. She has been at Richboro Elementary for 26 years. 

Carla attended Rider University for both her undergrad and graduate degrees. When Carla was studying for her Master’s in Elementary Counseling, she had a vision of the impact that therapy animals could have in school classrooms.  This led her to doing her thesis on this topic. In her research she discovered massive documentation that proved how valuable it was for children to interact with animals, especially when paired with learning. Now that Carla is a host teacher for one of our Nor’wester therapy dogs, she knows that having an animal in her classroom is beyond “cute and fun.” It is profoundly powerful.                                                                         

Carla shared a story with us about a student she had in her classroom one year when Wendi Huttner and her dog Wes were visiting:                             

“I once had a little boy in my class named *S* who had a multitude of learning and behavior problems.  He had an autistic brother at home who seemed to get all the attention that *S* so desperately needed. *S* lacked social skills, and so most of his classmates shunned him.  He had no friends. As a teacher I tried all the interventions I thought would be most beneficial. Nothing seemed to help.  When our therapy dog, Wes, started his visits, I began to notice a change in *S*.  He worked harder to read more fluently, especially on Mondays when he knew Wes was coming.  With this change, the students started to accept *S*, and he began making a few friends.  At the end of the school year *S* wrote a note to Wes. 

“Dear Wes, thank you for coming to our class.  When I read to you, you were the only one who didn’t laugh at me when I got stuck on a word.  I read better now because of you.  Please don’t leave us. 

Your Friend, *S*.” 

Carla recalls, “As a teacher who was an observer of all this, I cry every time I read *S’s* letter.  He got the attention and love he wasn’t getting at home, and it changed him in a million ways.” 

IDEAS FROM CARLA:

1. I keep a basket of dog books from which students can choose for independent reading. I have “book talked” these books, or we’ve read them together as a class. These books are in great demand. Sometimes a student will request that a book be included in the basket. If the book is appropriate and centered around dogs, I will honor the request. 
2. We have a blog on my class webpage. When students are reading independently, they may come across a book they would like to read to our therapy dog.  The blog is a place for them to share the title and the reason why they want to share it with our dog.
3. I also use golden tokens I got from the Crayola Factory with students who have behavior issues.  They can earn golden tokens for extra time with our therapy dog. 
4. A terrific website for teachers, parents, and kids is James Patterson’s readkiddoread.com . . . dedicated to making kids readers for life!

Note: The Nor’wester Therapy Dogs organization encourages sharing among our host teachers of ideas and lessons which have been successfully implemented to maximize the impact of therapy dogs in the classroom. 

In addition to being a creative host teacher, Carla has also jumped in as a volunteer when the organization does community events.  She has supported us in several fund-raising dog walks and more recently has served as scheduling coordinator for our booth at Tyler Park’s Crafts in the Meadow venue.  The Nor’wester Therapy Dogs organization is truly fortunate to have Carla as part of our team. Carla lives in Ivyland with her three children: Valerie, John, and Kelly. Chip, their 6-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever, is a much loved member of their family.  “I can’t imagine a home without a dog,” says Carla . . . and we know she feels the same way about her classroom.