As middle school language arts teacher Shana Caputo moved around her social studies classroom, she gently pulled a leash to guide the regular, four-legged visitor: a Greater Swiss Mountain dog, Skye.
Caputo is among nearly three dozen staffers certified to handle Skye and his partner, Hope, therapy dogs who work in the Absecon Public Schools. The Swissies provide a calming presence for students who are feeling distressed, or a friendly ear for struggling readers reluctant to read aloud.
The dogs are popular members of the teaching staff at H. Ashton Marsh Elementary and Emma C. Attales Middle, where they have a full schedule three days a week, visiting classes, small group lessons, and counseling sessions.
“It’s a nice change, especially for the middle school students,” said Caputo. “A lot of the students look forward to seeing the dogs.”
During a recent morning lesson on ancient Rome, Caputo moved around the special education classroom with Skye in tow. The dog occasionally took a break, plopping down on the floor. He curiously sniffed a cabinet where Caputo stores snacks for students (but no treats for the dogs while working).
In the elementary wing for another assignment, Skye sat on the carpeted floor in Lisa Maletta’s classroom where a small group of first graders were matching words with phonics cards. When a card was missing, she turned to the culprit, Skye.
“Sir, are you hiding the card?” she asked jokingly, pulling the card from beneath the 140-pound dog.
Maletta said her students are more focused and pay better attention when the therapy animals are in the classroom. A certified handler, she escorted Hope through the halls to her next class assignment.
“I love having that as an option. It’s a great way to help the kids feel confident and comfortable,” said Maletta.
‘We took a chance on it’
Superintendent Daniel Dooley initially started the pet therapy program with Skye a decade ago as a teacher in the Commercial Township School District in Cumberland County after researching the benefits of pet therapy. He wanted a free program to try a different approach to reach special-needs students, who comprised nearly one-third of the enrollment.
“People thought we were crazy,” Dooley recalled. “We took a chance on it.”
Dooley got the idea to use pets for therapy after his father was in a rehabilitation facility in 2005 and desperately missed his English bulldog. After getting the dog certified as a service dog, Dooley took him for a visit. Not only was his dad happy, but other patients clamored for time with the bulldog. Dooley wondered if that would have a similar impact on students.
Dooley obtained Skye from Kismet Swissies, a breeder in Birdsboro, Pa., who donated the dog to the district on the condition that Skye be permitted to show. Dooley and his wife, Stephanie, agreed, not fully understanding the commitment.
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Skye was a big hit in Commercial Township, socializing freely with students, cuddling and patiently listening to them read aloud. The Swissie was a perfect match, friendly and confident but never aggressive, Dooley said. He was certified as a therapy dog by FURever as Friends.
In 2018, Skye made headlines when he competed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York for the second year in a row. He didn’t place in the best of his breed, but had a great appearance at the most exclusive dog show in the country.
These days, Skye has a more laid-back lifestyle in Absecon, where Dooley has been school chief since 2019. Dooley added a second therapy dog, Esperanza, who everyone calls Hope. They interact with about 150 to 300 kids weekly, he said.
Sitting next to teacher Jordyn Glick as she read Good Boy Fergus, a story about a curious dog, to students in the S.M.I.L.E. (Silent Mentors in Literacy Education) program, Hope was quiet as classical music played. Anthony Fedele, 6, reached out to gently pet the dog.
When Hope got a little fidgety, one girl suggested, “We can read to her.”
‘He has a great sense of their feelings’
Dooley said the impact has been astounding and has helped the schools address students’ social, emotional and mental health needs. First-grade reading scores have improved and behavior problems have decreased, he said. Working with the dogs promotes good behavior because students can earn points to spend time with them.
The dogs also bring a calming presence to special-needs students prone to behavioral problems, Dooley said. A student sent to a “reset room” with one of the dogs during a crisis typically settles down within minutes and can return to the classroom, compared to an average of 17 minutes without a dog, he said.
Unconditional love from Skye in a tough counseling session can get a child to open up about a sensitive subject, said Mary Alvarado, an elementary school counselor. A gentle nudge from the dog breaks down barriers, she said.
“Then the tears will come,” she said. “He has a great sense of their feelings.”
Known as “the dog guy,” Dooley has become a pet therapy enthusiast and expert. His program has become a model for educators across the country and he mentors about 100 schools with similar programs.
He testified last month at a state Assembly Education Committee on a bill that would create a three-year pilot program to assess the academic, social and emotional benefit of animal therapy to students. Programs initially would be set up in two districts in each of the state’s north, central and southern regions and could expand statewide.
Experts say animal therapy can improve student achievement and boost self-esteem and confidence. It also promotes character traits such as patience, nurturing, caring, and empathy.
”Sometimes they need to see a counselor. Sometimes they need to see a therapy dog,” said Michelle Pich, assistant director of the Shreiber Family Pet Therapy Program at Rowan University, which has 30 therapy dogs. “It help releases anxiety by grounding them.”
In Absecon, parents may opt out of the program for children with pet allergies or fears of dogs. If a student opts out, the dog is kept in a separate area. The dogs are kept on a leash at all times.
When they’re not working, the dogs live with Dooley, his wife, and 2-year-old son. They ride to work with him and are returned to his office at the end of the day. Dooley maintains a distance from the dogs during school hours to avoid distracting them.
Dooley believes the program has benefited his students. “Anything to make a child’s day brighter.”
