Despite their fluffy and cute demeanor, therapy dogs Packer, Penny and Nova have a serious job: helping students process their emotions during the new school year at KHS. They travel across the halls, tails wagging, heads bobbing, and visit classrooms with their handlers, receiving pets and head scratches as they go. They all started as family dogs.
Tashia Nelson, tech manager, helps students at the Tech Desk in the library. Her therapy dog in training, Penny, lies on a cot behind her, napping after a long day of work. Behind her is the large check that helped to fund the therapy dog program. It acts as a symbol for new beginnings for her and Penny.
“I applied for a grant through the Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation,” Nelson said. “A lot of people don’t know that the school does not provide any funds for us to train these dogs. It’s really on us as the owners [of the dogs],”
Nelson said she was inspired to bring therapy dogs to KHS after seeing them at other KSD schools. She discussed it with Nikki Luckett, who works in the Innovation Center and Julie McEntire, an SSD Resource teacher. They then sent the proposal to the KSD Board of Education, SSD Board of Education, and Principal Seth Harell.
“My son goes to Robinson Elementary School,” Nelson said. “They have [a therapy dog named] Lola there, and Hula [as well].”
Luckett works with students who have endured emotional trauma and might come from more complicated backgrounds than the average student. Luckett adopted Packer to comfort her son, who had been having seizures. She said Packer helped his son cope with them.
“ We got him three months before I had our third kid, and he is with [them] all the time,”
Luckett says that the therapy dogs at KHS have two certifications, in which they have to do 12 tasks to complete their final test. Packer was
given a command and had to follow it. He also had to take an advanced test that showed he could focus amongst distractions.
“A school can be a very distracting place,” Luckett said. “[Therapy dogs] can’t show any aggression, [or] nervousness”.
Therapy work is loosely divided into two broad categories. According to the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America, there are 2 types of therapy dog certification: Animal-assisted Visitation, which is the oldest and most common form of therapy work, mostly involves therapy dogs visiting nursing homes and visiting hospitals and mental hospitals or facilities. Another new form of therapy dog work involves goal-centered therapy, or Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). This form of. work is directed by a healthcare professional like a physical or occupational therapist, who uses the therapy animal to help patients meet their health and wellness goals.
There are many things that keep therapy dogs focused and feeling rewarded. Luckett said Penny is very motivated by food and treats.
When Penny is at home with Nelson, she acts as a regular dog. Nelson says Penny loves to play in the front and backyard of her house.
“[Therapy dogs] need to be able to be trained,” Nelson said. In our training, we use a lot of treats to motivate and to teach tricks or commands. When she can tell that [it’s training time], she knows ‘Now’s the time to listen.’”
McEntire works at the Discovery Center in the counseling hall, which provides unique learning plans and support for students who need it. Her therapy dog, Nova, was very sick when McEntire adopted her. She had heartworm, an ear infection and was diagnosed with giardia and papilloma. Nova was very needy and affectionate, which McEntire said inspired her to enter a therapy dog training program.
“[Nova is] my first therapy dog,” McEntire said. “We rescued [her] in August [2021]. She started therapy dog work in January. [Her vests] say ‘CHAMP assistance dogs’ on it, which is the group that she has her certification with.”
Luckett said consistency and patience are two traits that dogs need to become therapy dogs. She said Packer handles distractions well, such as large groups of students and excessive chatter among them.
“If you’re not consistent, they’re not going to learn and they’re not going to know,” Luckett said. “[Packer] can be around any kind of person, he’d be around any kind of dog. He doesn’t have a specific service other than being friendly and following directions.”
Luckett works in the Pride Center during third hour. She brings Packer with her so students can interact with him while studying, giving him pets as they smile at him.
“He typically lays under the table until somebody talks to him.,” Luckett said. “Packer welcomes students wherever he is. He wants to be where the people are.”
