Dogs in schools

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What’s this all about then?

Our local primary school have acquired themselves an ‘emotional literacy support’ dog

Is this a thing now? Never heard of it before.

It sounds like nonsense to me. Especially when all class sizes are 30+ and they can’t afford the teachers or support assistants to cover them all.

Am willing to be proved wrong though if there’s evidence to suggest a dog is going to help......

I don't know about emotional literacy but my cousin in the USA says their library has a literacy dog, kids who would otherwise feel nervous reading aloud have come on leaps and bounds once they started reading to the dog. Also when DS1 scored very poorly on the autism screening questionnaire the developmental paediatric consultant advised getting a dog - she said that kids who find emotions tricky to read in other humans can find dogs easier as there are physical signs (ears up, tail wagging etc) and it can help along with being able to recognise emotions.

We did get a dog, DS1 did get much better at recognising emotions, but don't know there was cause and effect there or if he just grew into it!!

Xiaoxiong My dn (5) is suspected to be on the spectrum and my dsis is looking into this. What breed do you have, if you don't mind me asking?

Therapy dogs are becoming an increasingly popular part of school life. They will visit each of the classes on a regular basis, and also do one to one work with children.

Animals in general are known to reduce stress and anxiety. These dogs are said to increase school attendance, and as the PP said some children respond really well to reading to a dog, rather than directly to a person. Children will also confide in animals when they wouldn't do so to a person. The dogs can encourage children to engage, both with staff and their classmates.

Dogs are regularly used in hospitals, residential and nursing homes, and as support for people with a wide range of disabilities, therefore introducing them to schools seems a great move.

I would have hated that and would have refused to go to school! Who looks after a dog once the staff have gone home anyway? Does it get taken home by someone different every night? I also agree about the expense.

We have a dog at our school and it’s great. Like others have said, it’s great for children who otherwise lack confidence to read aloud to it and we also use it as a therapy dog (although I’m not sure how, as I’m not involved in the sessions) for children that need it. As far as I am aware, there is no real cost attached to it, apart from possibly the initial training it received as it is now the pet of a staff member who takes it home every night.

My kids secondary school have 2 dogs and they are fantastic, obviously if a child doesn't like dogs they are kept away but as far as I am aware they are always a positive influence

www.deerparkschool.net/news/?pid=3&nid=3&storyid=150

The school would take into consideration any allergies and requests not to interact with the dog, it is always on a voluntary basis, and only children that want to be involved would do so.

The dog, from what I have read of various school experiences) is owned by a particular member of staff, who is responsible for the overall care and all the expenses, as with other pet owners. The schools, I think, pay for the specific training that is required, so overall, the costs are low.

Many schools don't have their own dog, but will have visits from "reading dogs" who are generally part of voluntary organisations, like the ones that go into hospitals and care homes.

It’s a very good thing in my opinion.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/education/local-school-welcomes-four-legged-teacher-to-class-1-8771043/amp

Google “Pets As Therapy” dogs.

It really works for reluctant readers. One if my DC sometimes refuses to read but will read the dog a story

The benefits of animal therapy/companionship are well documented. I think it's great, and I hope dogs become more and more widely accepted in every day life in the years to come.

I have 2 therapy dogs which I take into schools. Mine lie down and get stroked while individual children read to them. We also visit Nurture Rooms in some schools where they lie and get stroked, brushed or taken for walks (with me present).

My childrens school have them, they are absolutely brilliant. The change in the pupils has been huge, they are used for reading and confidence in the children. Dogs trust do a workshop when a new class start which helps in general for dogs (MPs are asking for this to happen in schools and RSPCA want it on the curriculum)
I cannot reiterate enough just how well it works.

www.theguardian.com/education/2011/feb/28/dogs-listen-to-children-reading

Danny is very popular . My DS’s old school has a listening hound , and he is so popular that reading to him has become a considerable behaviour incentive , as well as really helping some who really struggle with reading out loud through lack of confidence . He’s become a bit of a town rock star in fact . Every time he gets taken out in town , he gets mobbed by children !

I think it's brilliant if handled correctly.
The dog will love being around people and it will help children understand how to interact with dogs (as I completely ignore the educational benefits missing the point entirely)

OctoberBirthday we adopted a dog from Romania, she is almost certainly a labrador crossed with a German Shepherd based on her size and colouring.

(Off topic but the other "interventions" we did, who knows what if any had an effect or whether it was just time and neurological development... we got DDog. We got a lot of picture books about emotions and kind of taught DS1 about emotions like we would teach him letters or addition (whereas DS2 knows instinctively how people are feeling and doesn't need teaching). We signed him up for Perform drama club, ballet and a sports club. And he started Reception.

Another thing that really helped us get our heads around it all was the developmental paed's description that ASD "traits" are neurotypical 3/4/5 year old behaviours that just never are grown out of - so what appears to be an ASD "trait" at 5 may not be at all, but if he's still doing it at 7 then there may be something going on.)