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Therapy Dogs in Schools - The Benefits to Students and Teachers
Therapy dogs are canines that are trained to provide comfort and affection to people in retirement homes, nursing homes, hospices, schools, hospitals and disaster areas, and to people with autism. Therapy Dogs work in animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy, typically alongside their owner/handlers who consider them the canines to be their personal pets. Schools across the country are reaching out to therapy dog programs for the many benefits they provide to students.
          
Therapy Dogs in Schools - The Benefits to Students and Teachers
Companion Animals

Therapy dogs are canines that are trained to provide comfort and affection to people in retirement homes, nursing homes, hospices, schools, hospitals and disaster areas, and to people with autism. Therapy Dogs work in animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy, typically alongside their owner/handlers who consider them the canines to be their personal pets. Schools across the country are reaching out to therapy dog programs for the many benefits they provide to students. Schools can be extremely stressful settings for students, creating a strain on resources that can help young people cope with emotions, disorders, or relationships. Therapy dogs provide an inexpensive way to assist students in focusing on their education. They provide a comforting presence that should be available to young people in need.

Therapy Dogs In Schools- Social and Mental Benefits

From helping young children read to relieving the intense stress faced by university students, dogs are an increasingly familiar part of school programs across the country. Worries about allergies and safety fears are steadily giving way to higher reading scores and improved social interaction as administrators succumb to the charms of these lovable and loving assistants.

Therapy Dogs In Schools- Physical Benefits

A therapy dog’s primary duty is to make affectionate contact with unfamiliar people in sometimes-stressful environments, and thus, aside from the animal’s training. The most important characteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. Therapy dogs must have a calm and stable temperament and must be able to tolerate children, other animals, crowded public places and other situations which may be stressful, without becoming distressed or dangerous. A good therapy dog must be friendly, confident, gentle in all situations and must be comfortable and contented with being petted and handled, sometimes clumsily. Additionally, the dog must possess the ability to be lifted or assisted onto an individual’s lap or bed, and must also be able to sit or lie comfortably there.

The simple act of petting a dog is shown to actually reduce blood pressure. Lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol and an increase in oxytocin are also associated with pet therapy and contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular health. In short, reducing feelings of anxiety and depression positively affects physical health. Most therapy dog programs that cater to universities and colleges are funded mostly through donations, and the fees for training and certification are almost always provided by the dogs’ owners. The dogs also stay with their families, not at the school, so the cost for food, supplies, and veterinary bills go to the owners of the dogs. Having therapy dogs in schools is cheap–much cheaper than hiring extra counselors or treating stress-induced disorders at medical clinics.

Therapy Dogs In Schools- Breeds and Requirements

Therapy dogs come in all shapes, sizes and breeds and they differ from service dogs in many regards.

Therapy Dogs must:

Be well-tempered
Well-socialized
Enjoy human touch
Comfortable in busy or stressful settings
Not shed excessively
Love to cheer others up!

Practically any dog, regardless of breed, may be eligible for therapy dog certification. Provided that it can pass the required training and temperament testing, such as the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Test. This test demonstrates that a dog can be left with a trusted person, if necessary, and will maintain training and good manners.

What is a Service Dog?

Service Dog Definition
A service dog is any canine that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks which benefit an individual with a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

Tasks performed by service dogs often include things like pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, alerting a person to a sound, reminding a person to take medication, or pressing an elevator button, among others.

Types of Service Dogs

It is extremely important to note that under Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), that Therapy dogs and Emotional Support Animals are not classified as service animals, and it is a Federal offense to misrepresent any animal as a service dog.

Some examples of animals that fit the ADA definition of “service animal” because they have been trained to perform a specific task for someone with a disability include, but are not limited to:

Guide Dogs
Carefully selected and trained dogs that serve as mobility aids for the blind, or those with severe visual impairments.

Hearing Alert or Signal Dogs
A dog that has been trained to alert a person who has a significant hearing loss or is deaf to particular sounds, such as a knock on the door or fire alarm.

Psychiatric Service Dogs
Dogs that are specifically-trained to detect the onset of psychiatric episodes and lessen their effects. Tasks performed by a PSD may include reminding a handler to take medicine, providing safety checks or room searches, for persons with PTSD, interrupting self-mutilation by persons with dissociative identity disorders, and keeping disoriented individuals from danger.

Seizure Alert Dogs
Dogs that assist people with seizure disorders. How a SR Dog assists someone depends on the individual’s needs. For instance, the dog may stand guard over the person during a seizure or the dog may go for help.

Sensory Signal Dog / Social Signal Dog
A dog trained to assist a person with autism. “SSig Dogs” alert their handlers to distracting repetitive movements common among people with autism, allowing the person to stop the movement (e.g., hand flapping).

 
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