Please take a minute to watch this video of A day in the life of Buddy the therapy dog in an elementary school:
I noticed that Buddy shows us how therapy dogs can do so many positive things in a school. Some things I noticed were:
- Buddy enhances students to use non-verbal communication.
- He fosters Inclusivity.
- Increases students happiness (puts a smile on their faces).
- Buddy validated each student for showing up to school that day by high-fiving them.
- He provided comfort to a student who was having difficulty staying engaged with a lesson
- He also Increased students desire to participate because then they could present to the non-judgemental dog.
Do you have any other opinions or ideas of why therapy dogs would make a positive impact in classrooms? I would love to hear from you!
Learning about all the positive benefits of animals in classrooms had me start thinking about the logistics of it. The SPCA Released a position statement on Animals in schools that highlights some important things to consider:
- “The educator selects a species whose natural behaviour patterns are compatible with a classroom setting (e.g., the animal is not nocturnal)”.
- “The educator thoroughly researches the animal’s nutritional, social and environmental needs prior to acquiring the animal”.
- “The animal is under the direct guardianship of the educator (or other knowledgeable adult at the school) who assumes full responsibility for the care and welfare of the animal, including overnight as well as over weekends, holidays and school breaks (i.e., the animal is not sent home with students)”.
- “The animal is socialized to thrive in a classroom setting”.
- “The animal is provided appropriate levels of care and a high standard of welfare in accordance with the Five Freedoms”.
- “The animal has access to regular and emergency veterinary care”.
- “Animal handling is supervised by an experienced adult and conducted in a safe and species-appropriate manner”.
- “The animal is not permitted to breed”.
- “The animal is included in emergency evacuation planning”.
- “The educator understands the risk of zoonotic disease transfer to students and implements appropriate hygiene and cleaning regimens”.
- “The animal contributes to a structured humane education curriculum, where possible”.
These are all critical points that must be carried out when having a class pet. I am not sure about you but, I definitely starting thinking about the financial burden that class pets come with so I decided to see if there is any funding for class pets in Canada to make it more accessible!
Pets in the Classroom
Pets in the classroom is an organization that has a grant process to provide funding for classroom pets in Canada! There are three steps to the grant process:
- Do You Qualify? If you are a K-9 public or private school teacher in the US or Canada and it is your first time applying for a Pets in the classroom grant this school year you are eligible to apply!
- Choose Your Pet
- Choose Your Grant: Petco, PETSMART, Pet Supplies Plus, and Pet super Market all support this program by supplying the grants. You choose a store that is close to you and aply!
If having a pet in your classroom is something you are considering, I hope that seeing the positive impacts on well-being and the grants available help you take the next step to make it happen!
Thank you for following along this week. Is there anything you would like to see in future posts? Or is there anything from my current posts that you would like me to explain and engage in further with you?
Chelsea
References
Grant application for Classroom Pets: Education Grants. Education Grants | Pets in the Classroom is an educational grant program to support public school teachers to have aquarium fish or small pets in the classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2022, from https://www.petsintheclassroom.org/grant-app/
Position statement on animals in schools. BC SPCA. (2021, October 22). Retrieved October 15, 2022, from https://spca.bc.ca/programs-services/leaders-in-our-field/position-statements/position-statement-on-animals-in-schools/
YouTube. (2019). YouTube. Retrieved October 15, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViE9lFumU8o&t=71s.
October 26, 2022 at 12:53 pm
Hi Chels! Oh my gosh I loved reading through this post. I have always wondered about the process of getting a classroom animal but never took the time to look into it, your post laid everything out perfectly. Having a classroom pet is definitely a commitment and might not be for everyone but after watching the YouTube video about Buddy I can truly see the benefits. I feel that on top of all the benefits you have laid out, they would also learn empathy and the responsibility of caring for another living creature. I am so happy that schools allows this experience for students and that there is funding available, because animals are such a light in this World and we are constantly learning from them.
Again, great post. I am excited to read through your other ones 🙂
– Morgan
October 27, 2022 at 8:13 am
Hi Morgan!
Thank you for following along my blog! I love how you brought forward that they would learn empathy and the responsibility of caring for another living creature. I think often times empathy is attempted to be taught but truly the best suited for this job is animals. They have a way of instilling empathy and compassion into humans like nothing else. It is pretty incredible to see!
Chelsea
October 28, 2022 at 11:29 am
Hey Chels! I loved seeing your post. I was in a grade 4 class as an EA and I saw Therapeutic Paws of Canada come in and read with students. Every kid wanted time to read to the dog even if they loved reading or didn’t like it. Which is so cool seeing those kids who don’t normally enjoy reading. I also love the idea of a class pet and giving certain students roles in taking care of the pet. Some students may not get the opportunity of a family pet, so this way they can learn the values of taking care of a pet.
Thanks for the awesome post!
October 28, 2022 at 7:01 pm
I will take a look into Therapeutic Paws of Canada! It sounds like an incredible foundation. I love that the students who did not yet have a joy of reading, loved reading to the dogs! I think animals are great motivators and like you said can give them an opportunity to fill a care-taking role that they might otherwise not have the chance to. Thanks Lauren!