Carla Foy introduced persuasive letter writing to her second graders.  She thought it would be a great opportunity to use their therapy dog April (a black Labrador Retriever) and her handler Nan Muska to model this writing exercise.  Carla had the class brainstorm the “opinion” and then the reasons why they should have a therapy dog in the classroom. 

She used the “Oreo” model to teach the lesson (Opinion, reasons, example, opinion). Her class decided to try to persuade another teacher in their school to host a therapy dog, and the class letter was specifically written for their fifth grade buddy class. 

Some of the children volunteered reasons and examples such as:

“If you don’t have a dog of your own, a therapy dog makes you feel like you have your own dog.”

“You get to pet a dog while you read so you are relaxed and not nervous to read aloud.”

“The dog’s handler is so nice, and sometimes you get to walk her and her therapy dog to the office when it’s time for them to leave.”

Following the whole-group lesson using Nan and April as their subject, the students then wrote a personal persuasive letter.  Some students chose to write a letter persuading the principal to install a smoothie machine in the cafeteria. Others wrote to their parents to persuade them to buy a certain toy. 

Two letters went to the parents of a set of triplets, two of whom were in Carla’s class.  They both wrote their own individual letter to their parents to persuade them to get a puppy.  After reading the letters and taking some time to think about the reasons and examples their sons set forth, the parents were convinced and decided to get a puppy for the family!

They got a black Labrador puppy because the boys loved April so much, and they named him Philly.

I am a retired Council Rock special education teacher. The year before I retired, my husband and I rescued a 5 year old Siberian Husky named Rory. Neither of us had any past experiences with dogs. Our youngest adult daughter had adopted a Husky who became our grand-dog, and we adored him. My daughter said to us one day, “Why don’t you get your own dog?” That’s when we adopted Rory.

After we’d had Rory for about a year, I was at St. Mary’s Hospital one day waiting for my husband while he had a medical procedure. A volunteer walked into the waiting room with her therapy dog where all of us were anxiously awaiting updates regarding our loved ones. The reduction of anxiety in the room was immediate and so apparent, I thought to myself, “Rory and I could do this!”

I enrolled in training, and we got our certification. After I retired, I discovered there was a therapy dog organization in my local school district called Nor’wester Therapy Dogs. I knew I wanted to continue working with kids, so this was a perfect fit for me and Rory.

Thanks to the Nor’wester organization, I get to do my favorite things every week:

• spend time with my dog in a stimulating and educational setting
• spend time with kids which keeps me on my toes
• know we are making a difference when we see every smile we get from the students and teachers

We are so grateful we have this opportunity to be of service!
Thank you Nor’wester Therapy Dogs!!
Contributed by Michele Lecker
(Rory and Piper)

At Halloween, Mr. Nelson brought Bubba’s costume to class in a bag.  The students had clues to guess what the costume was. They were eventually able to guess that Bubba was going to dress up as a super hero (Super Bubba).  They were thrilled when Bubba put on his cape, and each student had their picture taken with him. These pictures were then added to paragraphs they wrote about Bubba.  The information collected during the first class visit and interview was used to write an informative paragraph about Bubba.

Dominic Whiteman wrote:

Bubba is my new best friend. Bubba is an 11 year Golden Retriever who works as a therapy dog. It took one year to train to be a therapy dog. Bubba likes to take walks in the forest and bark at the squirrels and deer.  I get excited when I see Bubba come through our classroom door!

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Jen Cook

Maple Point Middle School

“I have a student in my special education classroom that can be considered “non-verbal”. Only when prompted does she use expressive language, but spontaneous expressive language continues to be an IEP (Individual Educational Prescription) goal of hers. After a third weekly visit from Karen and Brigg, this student shared more detailed information about her own two dogs and their size and color without more than two prompts from me. 

After the visit was over and Karen and Brigg left our classroom, on two different occasions that afternoon, she spontaneously requested “Help?” and “Can I use the bathroom?” without being prompted. This is a goal she is working on, and this is the first time this year she has done this.

I link this increase in independent communication directly to the therapeutic rapport a student with special needs establishes with a therapy dog like Brigg. There is truly something magical about the relationship between student and therapy dog from a very early point in the visits to the classroom. The calm, non-judgmental demeanor the therapy dog brings to the classroom, provides the students with the patience and security they need to take risks (like speak unprompted or read aloud). The students are accepted, not judged, and are seen as a child, not a disability.

I have had the pleasure of working with a Nor’wester therapy dog and handler for five years. I have success stories like this almost every year. 

Thank you so much Karen and Brigg. This is why this program is so important.”

Your forever supporter and teacher,

KV

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.

It’s inevitable that we sometimes lose therapy dog teams during the school year. It’s a sad reality that is often difficult for children and teachers who have worked so closely with the therapy dog and handler.

Nor’wester handler Karen McAllister shared a recent experience when a former special needs student made a sympathy card after learning about Moose’s death.

Karen wrote: “About five years ago, my daughter was teaching life skills to children with special needs at Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia. She asked me if my bulldog Moose and I would visit her classroom as a therapy dog team.

I don’t know who enjoyed our visits more: Moose, the students, or myself.  They all got such a thrill from our visits and made important academic strides with Moose by their sides. My daughter eventually relocated to another school district in an administrative role, and we stopped visiting Olney. 

About a month ago, one of her former students asked how Moose was, and she had to tell her that Moose had died.  This student, who has severe language challenges, had been very fond of Moose. Later that day, the student gave my daughter a special card and message for me and my family. The drawings are beautiful and so expressive and reminded me how worthwhile our visits to Olney had been.”

Maria Alden, retired third grade teacher from Maureen M. Welch Elementary in Council Rock School District, hosted a black Lab therapy dog for five years. She created a therapy dog related activity which helped motivate her children throughout the year. 

Maria purchased an inexpensive black Lab statue at the Dollar Store and introduced it to her class at the beginning of the year. The class then voted what to call the dog, and Hershey was the winning name. 

Maria explained that Hershey would accompany a student in the class home each weekend, and she would base her selection on each child’s social and academic performance that week. In some cases, the privilege was used as motivation for children with specific educational or behavioral challenges. 

The lucky student was required to keep and submit a journal of the dog’s weekend with the child’s family which was also shared with the class.  Most students hand wrote their journal and included photographs. 

Student KB chose to put her newly learned Power Point skills to use and submitted this account of Hershey’s December weekend with her. As you can see, it was a full and exciting one!  

HERSHEY’S DIARY – My Weekend with KB 

This weekend I went to KB’s house. I was very excited because I like to go to my friends’ houses.   KB mentioned that there will be a surprise. I can’t wait to see what it is. KB’s family decorated the tree already.

I found a decoration that looks like a gingerbread letter K.   I also got to ride a Christmas train. 

On Saturday, I went to gymnastics practice with KB and really liked it. All the girls were such hard workers.    I loved their sparkly competition leotards. So, I was thinking… Maybe I can get one too if I practice as hard! 

I also helped KB to wrap holiday gifts…  and met her friends. I had tea with Barbie and her friends in their doll house…  And played dress up with them…   

On Sunday, I finally learned what the surprise was – we were going to see the Nutcracker Ballet!!!  

The theater was like a palace, and I got my own Playbill.   KB mentioned that there was a seven headed Mouse King in the performance, and I was a bit scared, but I promised not to bark.    During intermission KB and I went to see the orchestra pit. KB pointed out several instruments to me. The second part was not scary at all. Can you guess my favorite dance? Maybe you think it was the Sugarplum Fairy? She is very pretty but not my favorite…  Maybe you think it was the Candy Cane? He was very cool, but it is still not it. My favorite dance was HOT CHOCOLATE!!! Yummy!!! So I was thinking… Maybe I can also become a ballerina? 

They can surely use a Hershey for their Hot Chocolate dance!!! I can’t wait to tell all my friends at school about my weekend with KB. We had a lot of fun!  

**Nor’wester Note:  Our host teachers are always thinking outside the box and using our therapy dogs in many wonderful ways to challenge, motivate, and make learning fun for their students .

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)

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.