Meet Honey (Miss Ward's Therapy Dog)
Numerous research studies have shown the benefits of dogs in schools. Therapy dogs have been working in schools across the UK for the past 5 years. However, they have been commonplace in schools in the USA and Australia for many years now. Evidence indicates that areas of potential benefits include:
- Cognitive development – companionship with a dog stimulates memory, problem-solving, game-playing and can improve reading skills.
- Emotional development – a school dog improves self-esteem, acceptance from others and lifts mood, often provoking laughter and fun. Dogs can also teach compassion and respect for other living things as well as relieving anxiety.
- Physical development – interaction with a pet reduces blood pressure, provides tactile stimulation, assists with pain management, gives motivation to move, walk and stimulates the senses.
- Environmental benefits – a dog in a school contributes towards the creation of home style environment, with all of the above benefits continuing long after the school day is over.
- Social benefits – a dog provides a positive mutual topic for discussion, encourages responsibility, wellbeing, developing social skills and focused interaction with others.
Honey will be attending on Mondays and Wednesday. During the school hours I will have a challenging and ever-changing job. I will be spending a lot of time helping with a variety of interventions including: listening ear (and as everybody knows, dogs can hear a lot better than humans); LEGO therapy and drawing therapy. I will be joining different classes when they take part in Forest School adventures. After some training, I will work as a reading dog where I will listen to children reading me stories and answering questions. Sometimes, I may join a class for a lesson or two if it will enrich the experience in some way.
Honey is a Cockerpoo. This means that we do not shed fur, making it highly unlikely that anyone will be allergic to us.
We plan on keeping our section of the school website up-to-date with comments and photographs documenting my time in school. If you have any further questions regarding my role within the school, do let us know.
