Shaler Area School District is excited to welcome a new addition to the high school’s school counseling office.
Pepper, a certified therapy dog, joined her owner and high school social worker LeeAnn Guido this month in a new initiative to provide support to students.
Ms. Guido proposed the therapy dog initiative at the high school after hearing about the positive effects an animal can have on students with traumatic backgrounds. She felt a therapy dog within the school could have similar success with a larger number of students.
Ms. Guido and Pepper, a 4-year-old labradoodle, are a certified therapy dog and handler team through Alliance of Therapy Dogs. The dog spends her time in Ms. Guido’s office, which is located in the school counseling office, and is available to students throughout the day as well as classroom visits.
Pepper provides opportunities to reduce students’ stress, improve physical and emotional well-being and self-esteem, lower blood pressure, and decrease anxiety, thus increasing the likelihood of a student’s academic success.
In her short time in her new role at Shaler Area, Pepper has provided comfort a grieving student with her calm presence and gave a student who struggles with truancy an incentive to come to school.
Ms. Guido said those examples of her interactions with students is exactly what she hoped Pepper would provide to students at the high school, “a presence that helps to sooth raw emotions and gives kids who are not as connected to school a reason to be here.”
The school board approved Policy No. 719.1 Therapy Dogs in Schools during its November 20 meeting paving the way for the launch of the high school’s therapy dog program. The policy outlines the guidelines for the use of therapy dogs in Shaler Area schools.
Currently, Pepper comes to the school 2-3 times per week, depending on Ms. Guido’s schedule.