School Days -- Dog Days! DOGS ARE EDUCATORS' BEST FRIENDS!

A dog may be man’s friend, but some people are allergic to dogs, some people are afraid of dogs, and some people prefer cats, lizards or parakeets as pets. Nevertheless, a growing body of research substantiates the usefulness of dogs in K-12 schools. These are the areas in which many dogs are now serving education:

• Literacy
• Classroom Behavior Management
• Socialization and Emotional Support
• Security
• Emergency Preparedness
• Service for Special Needs

Schools and districts have been slow to explore the utility of canines in the classroom because of legal restrictions, physical constraints, environmental limitations, and paucity of certificated dogs. However, there are some districts and schools that have overcome these obstacles and are paving the way for the use of dogs in education to expand. Below is a list of a few schools and how they are implementing programs or practices that include canines:

• Van Devender Middle School (Parkersburg, West Virginia): A therapy dog is brought to school once a week to “provide students with cognitive, physiological, and social and emotional support,” and bring a “calming presence” to the student body.

• B.F. Kitchen Elementary School (Loveland, Colorado): The school principal’s dog is present on campus twice a week to take part in animal-assisted interventions and activities, and to act as a behavior and academic incentive. Since being on campus is “very tough on the dog,” a therapy-dog team also comes on Fridays.

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (North Carolina): Because of a recent shooting incident at a school bus stop, a gun-detection K-9 is in training and will be used to detect and deter students from bringing firearms into schools. A narcotics-detecting Labrador retriever has been serving since 2017 with great success.

• Edmund Burk School (Washington): Administrators and teachers “regularly bring their pets to frisk with the kids. Not service dogs or therapy dogs. Just dogs.”

• Department of Education (New York, New York): New York’s program [on-demand deployment of therapy dogs) was expanded in 2018 to “nearly 40 elementary, middle, and high schools.” “The comfort dogs have been a boon for staff, too.” These dogs may be used by school counselors and social workers for “crisis intervention, bereavement assistance, and behavioral de-escalation.”

Before implementation of a program that makes use of dogs, these schools gained administrative support; vetted canines to determine the “right” dog; addressed allergies and fears; and clarified schoolwide expectations. As a result, reports for these and other institutions have verified the benefits of canines on campus. Depending upon how canines are used, benefits include:

• Improved literacy outcomes, especially with reading

• Calmer, kinder, and less stressful classrooms

• Calmer, kinder, and less stressful school grounds

• De-escalation of bullying, outbursts and other violence

• Averting escalation of student crisis behavior

• Improved student academic engagement and on task learning

• Enhancement of social and emotional competencies, including empathy skills

• Increased teacher retention

• Positive influence on attendance

Therapy/comfort dogs are used most often with individuals who are on the autism spectrum or diagnosed with an emotional/behavioral disorder (EBD). “The duties of service dogs and specialized therapy dogs … are task specific and designed to pointedly meet the needs of emotionally and behaviorally disabled individuals or groups containing such individuals.” Therapy, comfort, and service dogs receive special training and are accompanied by an aide during their visits. Pets and shelter dogs are not specially prepared or certificated, however the benefits of relationships with these dogs also contribute significantly to both special needs and general population students. Having a dog in the room creates an atmosphere that enables students “to self-correct behaviors, reengage in their learning and devote themselves to time on task.”

As the data comes in, more school districts will consider canine programs for their district’s particular needs. Many universities, social service agencies, and canine-centric entities are developing curricula (for districts, teachers, students, and dog trainers). Mutt-i-grees curriculum has already been developed and deployed around the country. This curriculum promotes “broad humane education principles and resilience” in over 1,500 schools, and is grounded on research that examines the role of animals in Human-Animal Interactions (HAI) in treating and preventing developmental and behavioral problems. The curriculum focuses on “Achieving Awareness, Finding Feelings, Encouraging Empathy, Cultivating Collaboration, and Dealing with Decisions.” Mutt-i-gree Time in classrooms may or may not include the presence of dogs, but research shows that pictures, stories, and canine stuffed animals and toys are effective in contributing to the desired emotional/physiological results.


So, for all the dog lovers out there, all of this is good news. Of course, lovers of cats, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, and other furry four-legged creatures may be able to make a case for their mammal of choice. I bet there is research on these critters and MOTAL may take it on if we hear from our readers!


Cheryl Stewart,
MOTAL Board member and Treasurer
Museum of Teaching and Learning
We Educate People About Education


Sources:
DeNisco, Alison. Apr 18, 2019. “How K-12 districts use K-9s for security.” District Administration. Issue: May, 2019. https://districtadministration.com/how-k-12-districts-use-k-9s-for-security/ Accessed 06/23/2021.


Hau, Emily. Apr 23, 2013. “A New Role for Dogs: As Teachers, Co-Counselors, and Behavior Specialists.” Yale School of Medicine. https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/a-new-role-for-dogs-as-teachers-co-counselors-and-behavior-specialists/ Accessed 06/23/2021.


Kalkoske, Sharon. May 19, 2018. “The Academic and Social-Emotional Effects of Classroom Service Dogs…”  Brandman University; Brandman Digital Repository.


McKibben, Sarah. Feb 2018. “Why Schools Are Going to the Dogs.” ASCD Education Update. Volume 60, Number 20. http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/feb18/vol60/num02/Why-Schools-Are-Going-to-the-Dogs.aspx Accessed 06/10/2021.