WOOD RIVER JCT. — Peyton Martone, an eighth-grader at Chariho Middle School, dropped to the carpet one recent afternoon, once he saw Hope, the school's resident therapy dog, walking toward him in the school hallway.
“Hi Hopey,” said Peyton as he snuggled the dog affectionately. “I love you, girl.”
Peyton's aide stood by watching, a big smile on her face.
Hope has made a difference in Peyton's school days, she said.
“The kids are delighted with her,” said School Principal Giuseppe Gencarelli, Hope's handler, as he stood watching the exchange between student and pet. “They absolutely adore her.”
Hope, a 16-month-old Australian Labradoodle who is named for Hope Valley Elementary School — where Gencarelli served as principal for 13-plus years — received her official certification as a therapy dog earlier this year.
Even before her certification, Hope has been comforting students, first at Hope Valley and now at Chariho Middle School.
“Ever since she began coming to school with me,” said Gencarelli as he looked over at Hope, who was now curled up in her dog bed next to the principal's desk, “every day since last winter.”
“I never had a dog before,” said Gencarelli, a Westerly resident who is married to Paula Fusaro Gencarelli, with whom he has two children, Joseph and Julia. “Now she's a family dog.”
Having Hope at Chariho Middle has been a game-changer, Gencarelli said, noting that Hope adds to the “supportive, inclusive environment” he encourages at the school.
Having a therapy dog in a school, he said, “can have significant benefits students, teachers and the school community as a whole.”
Hope provides “unconditional love,” he added, and offers “a calming presence that can help reduce stress, enhance focus and foster a sense of belonging” with students.
Research shows that therapy dogs help build community, he added, and “promote a sense of belonging.”
Dr. Renée Alsarraf, a veterinarian and author of “Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs Can Teach Us About How To Live Well,” said in a 2022 interview with The Sun that she has found that “when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent, devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.”
Alsarraf, who makes appearances on national television and around the country, was in Westerly to speak at a program sponsored by Stand up for Animals.
“Without words,” she said, dogs “understand our feelings and emotions” and “fill a need just when we need it the most.”
Dogs may not use words to communicate, she said, “but they can be incredibly supportive.”
Her book, she said at the time, “explains to readers why dogs are the perfect guides to help humans navigate traumatic and difficult experiences.
“They show us what is available within ourselves,” she said.
“She is so good at this,” said Gencarelli as he picked up Hope and held the dog in his arms. “She knows her job and she always knows what to do.”
On a wall nearby, a glass case was filled with students' handmade cards featuring Hope and expressing their affection for the cuddly brown canine.
Hope has even helped elevate the chronic absenteeism problem that has been plaguing schools for years, Gencarelli said.
“The kids all know her and love her,” he said.
Gencarelli said students today face not only academic challenges but pressures from having to negotiate social dynamics.
Hope, he said, has made a positive difference in the lives of his students.
“Research has shown that school therapy dogs can reduce the stress hormone cortisol and boost academic focus,” Chariho Superintendent of Schools Gina Picard wrote in a 2023 column she wrote for The Sun when Hope was being introduced to the Chariho school community. “In the process, they relieve anxiety and heighten students’ motivation to participate in learning activities.”
“In a time of higher-than-normal anxiety, Hope will help support positivity and excitement across our district,” she said.
