These dogs will be essential to giving children a friend and a safe place to come to everyday. Therapy dogs create a safe, comfortable, happy, and judgmental free classroom environment. These dogs also have the power to improve student’s reading levels and overall attendance. Many studies have been done to analyze how children’s reading abilities improve with the use of therapy dogs. Changes in attitudes toward reading, reading skill levels, schoolwork, attitudes toward homework, attendance, and changes in self-esteem or self-confidence can be seen just by involving a dog in the classroom.
The dogs are not personal pets. The dogs are owned and managed by Montrose Community Schools. The dogs live with a host family when they are not on duty in school.
The dog's home base is Mrs. Moore's classroom who is the dog's handler. He will go with the counselors to different classrooms as needed. Once he has shown he can handle a school schedule during the 2022-23 school year, teachers will have the opportunity to schedule visits during their advisory times starting in the 2023-24 school year. Not all teachers will feel comfortable with this and may choose not to have Fraser visit.
A dog ‘retires’ when they begin to slow down or begin to experience health issues. Dogs generally work an average of 10 years.
While dog allergies are not life threatening, the school staff will ensure that no contact will be made with the person who suffers from allergies.
An effort will be made to help the student and/or staff member to overcome their fears in a time sensitive and empathetic manner. The dog will be kept away from the student/staff until it is mutually agreed upon.
We completely understand. We will never make a child do something that makes them uncomfortable. It will be important that families reach out to their child's teacher and principal with any concerns that they may have about their child with the dog so that we can work with families on a case-by-case basis.
No, the dog is not allowed to eat snacks/treats at school because this will cause him/her to have weight issues and interfere with him/her following learned directives.
Yes, the dog trainers will be providing training to the daily dog handlers.
The trainers work with breeder and attempt to ensure the good health and dog temperaments, which are crucial. Our trainer works closely with the breeders on deciding what pup is best for what school. The pups will leave the breeder around 12 weeks and go to training for about 10-12 months. Our trainers will make sure that the dog is in tip-top shape and ready to join the school environment. Our dogs cannot do any special tricks, it’s the training and temperament that is special.
The district was approached about this program for a special education room. The district hopes to add a dog to each building as we progress through this experience. As most people know, taking on a dog and committing to bring the dog to school daily for the next 10 years is a huge commitment. Going forward there will be an application process for a staff member to be considered the host home/family for the dog. All applications will be processed through the building administrators. The trainers will also look at all the host applications and decide which home is best, using the information provided, phone interviews and possible home visit (at their discretion). The trainer will recommend a host home to the principal who will then make a final decision.