I know it is a cheesy title; however, I hope it caught your attention. It was a catchy title that caught my attention: “Star Pup-ils: Brighton Plans to Place Therapy Dog in Every School.” Fourteen months after reading the article about therapy dogs in the Brighton School District, a new staff member joined the E.F. Rittmueller Middle School Team, a therapy dog named Frank.
I have been a principal for more than 20 years and know that there is no magic elixir that improves culture and climate in a school building. It is a continuous work in progress; however, getting a school therapy dog was a game-changer for us. The purpose of getting a therapy dog was student-based, with benefits like building self-esteem, memory stimulation, reducing anxiety, etc. Soon after a therapy dog joined the team, an unintended consequence surfaced: the therapy dog brings as much joy to the staff and community as he does the students.
This journey would not have been possible without the guidance of Brighton School District teacher Karen Storey and Fred Saber, owner of Wing & Shot, LLC. Gun Dog Training in Ortonville, Mich. We are so grateful that they were willing to share their experience with us! There is a plethora of information available regarding the benefits of therapy dogs in schools, however, there is not much information about the steps one needs to take to turn this idea into a reality. There are no set rules for how to go about getting a school therapy dog. In our case, it seemed like every step began with a question.
How much will this endeavor cost?
Purchasing a Labrador from a professional breeder, nearly a year's worth of therapy dog training and initial vet bills cost approximately $8,500. The next question is inevitable – where will the money come from to fund the project? I’ll come back to this later.
Is the staff in favor of the project?
Investigate if adding a professionally trained therapy dog is the right fit for your building. Are there any staff members with allergies or who fear dogs? Are those who would like the therapy dog in their classroom willing to spend extra time getting trained to handle the dog? Who would be willing to give up some time during prep or lunch to take the dog out to the bathroom (keeping in mind this needs to happen three times a day and that we live in Michigan, and the enjoyment that may come from doing this would primarily be weather dependent)? Securing answers to these questions led to having a therapy dog visit the school. We were hooked after the visit.
Will the Board of Education support the project?
The superintendent had previously given her blessing to pursue the investigation. Before we presented the idea to the Board of Education, we made these crucial decisions:
- The Frankenmuth School District owns the dog.
- A host family would commit to 10 years of bringing the dog to and from school each day. If, for any reason, the host family could not or did not follow the guidelines, the dog would live with a new host family.
The board of education fully supported moving forward with the project.
How do we find the money to pay for the project?
Letters were sent to local businesses asking for their financial support. If a company committed to sponsoring the $8500 project, then they would be allowed to name the dog. We were thrilled when Frankenmuth Insurance agreed to sponsor the dog! They requested to name the dog Frank based on their company motto, "Let's have a frank conversation.” Once funding was secured, it started feeling like this was going to happen.
What breed dog would be the best fit for EFR?
We connected with Fred from Wing & Shot as conversations continued with Karen Storey. We decided to work with a Labrador breeder. Waiting for our pup to be born turned into more of an emotional roller coaster than I expected. A combination of litters being smaller than anticipated and pups who were already claimed deferred our timeline. Karen knew of our struggles and talked with the Brighton Superintendent, Dr. Greg Gray, who graciously offered one of their claimed newborn pups to us. We will be forever grateful! After Frank was old enough to leave the breeder, he was whisked off for nearly a year of training. Wing & Shot started as a dog gun training business that expanded to offer therapy dog training services. The Labrador Retriever is commonly used in therapy situations. However, additional breeds are entering the ranks. Check out Wing & Shot's Facebook page "Becoming a Therapy Dog" to see examples.
What do we do when Frank is in training?
There are several tasks to complete before the dog becomes an official staff member, but keep in mind that you have almost a year to check these items off your list.
- Find additional sponsors such as a veterinarian and local pet store who will provide services and essential items the dog needs when at work in exchange for having the business name on the dog's therapy vest. Once you secure sponsors and name the dog, design the therapy vest. Search for a company that will create your custom-designed therapy vest.
- Determine how to address allergy concerns. Be proactive and upfront with parents and staff. You have to respect their needs without drawing attention to them. Create the dog's schedule so paths with these individuals do not cross. Before implementing the plan, privately inform them of it and gain their approval.
- Pick a host family. Create an application that includes guidelines that will work towards your ultimate vision of having a therapy dog on staff. Early on, I was asked by many why I was not going to host the dog. The thought of adding a highly trained dog to my family was certainly appealing. However, since I live and work in a small community, I did not think that was the best option. I did not want any misconceptions about the intent of this project. Picking the right host family is crucial to the success of this project. Shortly after the therapy dog starts working at the school, the students and staff will be huge supporters of the project. It is beneficial to pick a host family that is active in the community. Even though Frank works at the middle school, he is often seen at high school athletic events and avoids the "summer slide" by reading with elementary kids at the public library in June, July, and August. Frank wears his official therapy dog vest to these events. He has become quite a celebrity in the community.
- Establish expectations for interacting with the dog, which includes required training for those staff who want to be handlers. Consistency is key. Use the same commands that the trainer uses. Part of the overall cost of training the dog should include the trainer coming to the school to run a training session. This session consists of the host parents and a few staff members. This group will then hold training sessions for the staff. Set classroom guidelines that teachers share with students so they know what they can and cannot do with the dog.
How does a therapy dog assimilate into the school?
It is an exciting time when a therapy dog unites with his host family; however, for the first two weeks, the newest staff member has a pretty lax work schedule. The dog should be in the building and have limited access to students. Teachers trained to handle Frank had him in their classroom during prep time. I needed a couple of weeks to develop a schedule for Frank. I created a plan based on three key factors:
- Students cannot handle the dog
- The dog needs a rest period each day
- The dog needs to go outside three times a day
Creating a schedule was a more difficult task than I anticipated. To start the process, I let teachers know that they would need to transfer Frank to his next location during passing time. Those interested in having Frank in their classroom gave me their top three class period choices. It worked out that Frank spends the morning on one side of the building and the afternoon on the other side. The main office is a center point in the building, and that is where Frank spends his "prep period" every day. Before he settles into his dog bed, which is under the counter in the main office, he checks to see if I'm in my office. If there, Frank comes over for a pet and a hug, then heads to his bed for a nap. Every time we go through this routine, I can't help but chuckle and smile.
Frank has been a member of the EFR Staff for just over a year. The perception data is overwhelmingly positive that his presence helps create a positive school climate. He also serves as another form of intervention when working with kids who are struggling with the various emotions that go hand in hand with being a young adolescent. We have experienced great success with our "Fridays with Frank" program. Earning alone time with Frank serves as a significant motivator when working with a student to curb negative behaviors. I've had the privilege of serving as a principal for nearly 23 years, and in less than a year Frank has proven wrong the saying, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." With Frank's help, this old dog has learned some new tricks, like learning to talk less, listen more and growl less, smile more.
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in learning more about this endeavor at khecht@fmuthschools.com
Written by Kristen Hecht, Principal at E.F. Rittmueller Middle School, Frankenmuth School District