They don’t say much, but when it comes to offering therapeutic services, the three dogs who visit Montgomery County schools in Maryland are very popular — and effective — according to ESOL Resource Teacher Lisa Sprehn.
Sprehn, who oversees the ESOL department at Seneca Valley High School, is also one of the dog handlers. She told WTOP the animals create connections and offer immediate and transformative comfort to students and staffers alike.
“Students will just pet them and all of the sudden you can see they relax and they feel so much better,” Sprehn said, with yellow Labrador retriever, Robbie, in tow.
Almost on cue, Seneca Valley student Meimouna Yeli came up a set of stairs near the main lobby and rushed over to give one of the dogs a big hug.
“The school day gets better” when she sees the dogs, Yeli said, adding that they have helped her overcome one of her fears.
“I’m scared of dogs, but since they’ve brought them here, I’ve just felt more comfortable,” she said with a laugh, joking that their presence at school feels like “extra security.”
The service is provided through a partnership with PAL (People Animals Love), a D.C.-based nonprofit that brings dogs to a variety of settings to offer comfort and companionship. The dogs are specially trained and screened to serve as therapy dogs, and each has its own personality, Sprehn said.
Robbie is “very food motivated, and so he looks for people who have food,” Sprehn said. And, indeed, as Robbie circulated among students and staff, he quite obviously kept an eye out for signs — and smells — of something tasty.
Volunteers handled Hershey and Ashley. Hershey, as his name suggests, is a chocolate Lab who Sprehn said is “very calm.”
“He’s a good boy,” Sprehn added.
And Ashley, the Golden Retriever, has a therapy style all her own. “She likes to lean into people and be petted,” a trait that is especially appreciated, including by MCPS Superintendent Monifa McKnight, who stroked the dog’s ears as she leaned against her.
McKnight said the therapy provided by the dogs is part of a “whole sphere of wellness” that the school system is working to provide to students, who have said the dogs help with anxiety, trauma and overall mood.
An added benefit of the therapy the dogs provide, Sprehn said, is that “they’re not judgy.” Although, she added with a laugh, the very food-motivated Robbie can get a bit “barky” when the treats are coming in a little too slowly.
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