HANCOCK (WBNG) — A six-year-old yellow Lab named Sander is the new therapy dog at the Hancock Central School; he is also the first therapy dog in the Hancock Central School District.
Sander has been at the school for a month and Kindergarten Teacher Marjorie Hull said he‘s already made a difference in the students’ mood and behaviors.
“We have a couple of students who are wiggly and he is perfect for them. He lays down and they‘ll pet him and they’ll sit so calmly during the whole lesson,” said Marjorie Hull. “I have a couple of emotional children, and they seem to be much less emotional around him.”
Marjorie Hull‘s daughter, Ashley Hull, is Sander’s owner. She has been training Sander since college.
“I raised him for 18 months and we did lots of basic obedience and socialization training,” said Ashley Hull.
Ashley Hull said Sander was training to become a guiding dog for the blind but didn’t land that role. She realized he would be the perfect fit as a therapy dog and got him certified.
“There was just so much excitement around having a dog at the school and you can see the kids were really thrilled to have the opportunity to have Sander in their school a few days a week,” she said.
According to a report published in the National Library of Medicine, the popularity of implementing therapy dogs in schools is growing. The dogs help reduce stress by lowering cortisol levels and creating an engaging environment.
Marjorie Hull said Sander has also helped students feel more comfortable with reading.
“I noticed a lot of the students lacked confidence in their reading,” she said. “They really could do it, but they were afraid to read in front of an adult or their peers. They read to Sander and he is nonjudgmental. He just sits there and listens.”
Sander currently hangs out with the Kindergarten students every Tuesday and Thursday. Marjorie Hull hopes to introduce him to other grades for a boost in paw-sitivity.
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