Alonso high school students are constantly worried, anxious, and separated from each other. A multitude of issues causes this, but it’s impossible to give everyone hands-on support. The answer? Bring a therapy dog to the school on a schedule. Therapy dogs have many benefits to students, including raised self-esteem, more social opportunities, increased confidence, and overall emotional support. Students often feel alone and isolated at school with nowhere else to turn, and sometimes school is the only support kids can get if mental healthcare is not an option. Here’s an example of how a therapy dog could help: imagine a student is depressed and feels out of place at school. They feel insecure at school, and are afraid to show up anymore. The administration sets them up with the dog on schedule and this provides them with motivation to show up and improve their grades. The dog could also be an asset for building relationships between students as it gives them a chance to bond with each other, and gives an unconditional support system for troubled kids.    

     There are some challenges administrators may be considering before bringing a dog into a school environment—and I’ve got a few solutions to that. Like, what about those with fears of dogs? A therapy dog would be a great way to tame fears as they are well trained for that specific situation. Finally, while there’s not much I can say about the cost as I am only a student and can’t say I fully understand these things, I’m aware of the fact that there are insurance coverage plans for therapy dogs being brought into schools. 

     Overall, I think that many students would agree having a dog on campus would greatly improve school spirit, communication, mood, confidence, and overall happiness and motivation at school. Please support this cause to improve our school!    

Sources/Further Reading:

http://charlotteslitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Educator_Resource.pdf​

https://www.schooltherapydogs.org/home​

https://districtadministration.com/best-practices-show-therapy-dogs-in-schools/​

https://www.therapydogs.com/therapy-dogs-classrooms-campuses/