Dear Neary families,

Once again, Mrs. Garand, 5th-grade Neary teacher,  and her poodle mix Teddy have been certified through Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. (www.bright-spot.org). Together, Teddy and Mrs. Garand are a certified therapy dog team. The training process involved the successful completion of both basic dog obedience and therapy dog certification classes. Along with his training, Teddy has had medical assessments and is current with all of his vaccines. 

Starting the week of September 8th,  Teddy will join Mrs. Garand at Neary.  To begin with, Teddy will be primarily in Mrs. Garand’s classroom. As the year moves along, he may visit other areas of the school. When Teddy is “working,” he wears a therapy dog harness so everyone understands that he has a role within the school.  We’ve put much thought and research into this, and we have made plans to help our students understand the expectations for working around a therapy animal and to make meaningful learning connections for the students with whom Teddy will be working.

Some background on the training organization and the benefits to schools include:

Bright Spot Therapy Dogs Mission Statement: Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that places well-trained certified therapy dog teams in meaningful programs that provide comfort and caring through the human-canine bond.  Our special volunteers serve in various settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries, and other facilities where therapy dogs are needed.

Therapy dogs are not service dogs. The following comes from www.bright-spot.org:

To be clear...therapy dogs are not service dogs. Service dogs are dogs that are specially trained to perform specific tasks to help a person who has a disability. Therapy dogs work with their owners to help others.

"Service dogs have special access privileges in accompanying their owner in public places such as on planes or in restaurants. Therapy dogs do not have the same special access." 

 - From the American Kennel Club “What is a Therapy Dog?” 

All dogs are special. Therapy dogs are unique. Successful therapy dogs possess good manners but need to know more than sit, stay, and come. They require additional socialization to work despite constant distractions. They must appear receptive, confident, and steady in settings where most dogs never venture.

Petting a dog can reduce stress and anxiety, promote happiness, improve empathy, and calm students. Reading to a dog has been shown to improve fluency and boost confidence. Simply having a dog in a student’s presence while he/she is working can improve socialization and promote a calm and cooperative atmosphere. Over time, our goal is to have Teddy working with various students. 

We’ve created student guidelines to help everyone understand how to interact with  Teddy, which we will share with students in an upcoming whole-school meeting on September 8th. 

• Please ask before petting Teddy.

• If there are already five (5) students around Teddy in the hall, please wait your turn to pet Teddy.

• If you are petting Teddy in the hall, please let others have a turn if they are waiting.

• If Teddy is in the hall “working” with a student or students, please do not stop to pet him.

• Please do not feed Teddy “people” food. He has food allergies.

• Please wash your hands after petting/spending time with Teddy. Others have allergies and we need to be careful and respectful. Teddy is hypoallergenic. 

As previously mentioned, Teddy will work in specified classrooms and offices and have a predetermined schedule to follow whenever he is at school. Teddy will also be outside and working in the hallways at times, so it is important for all students to understand our guidelines and to gauge their comfort levels with a dog as well as any health issues.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I am also open to suggestions about your child’s interaction with Teddy; he might be a bright spot in a child’s day that could make a positive difference. 

We are looking forward to welcoming Teddy back to our Neary community, and we would be happy to answer any questions that you may have. However,  if you do not want your child to visit with Teddy, please email me directly at kvalenti@nsboro.k12.ma.us.

Respectfully,

Kathleen Valenti                 Allison Garand

Neary Principal                  Grade 5 Teacher

Welcome Teddy!