This dog doesn’t eat homework
By Bobbi Mlynar
Originally published 09:01 a.m., January 19, 2008
Updated 09:01 a.m., January 19, 2008
With her pale blond hair and soft brown eyes, Edie’s the most popular girl in school. Boys flock to her in the hallways and classrooms — and the girls do, too.
Edie, an 8-month-old yellow Labrador retriever, came to work this year as a therapy dog at Lowther North Intermediate School.
She already has a variety of responsibilities, and those will expand as her handler-owner, Jana Phillips, and the school district see how her talents develop.
“I expect more out of her just knowing what is to come, what the potential is,” Phillips said.
Edie came from Canine Assistance, Rehabilitation, Education and Services in Concordia (CARES), a non-profit organization that provides trained therapy dogs at minimal costs. Before training begins, the dogs are tested to ensure their temperaments are appropriate for therapy work; they also are spayed or neutered and must pass physical examinations, including testing negative for heartworms and physical abnormalities, according to the CARES Web site.
The dogs can be remarkably specialized to suit needs, from acting as a physical support for people who may need to get up after a fall, to learning sign language, among other training.
“They know 43 basic commands and are even trained for basic search-and-rescue,” the CARES Web site said. “Not only for emergencies, but also to play hide-and-seek with children.”
A therapy dog can sense when children or adults are struggling, whether with inner turmoils or physical conditions, Phillips said. Often, when a therapy dog is brought into a classroom, it will seek out a troubled or struggling child and go to him or her.
Edie’s knack for rooting out people with needs showed itself at a meeting of adults, Phillips said, when the dog circled the room and finally sat down next to an exceptionally uncomfortable teacher who was due to give birth any minute.
“They just pick up on the body odors, and things that are coming out of them,” she said.
Already Edie works with students according to their needs. For some, she is the channel to express affection or to confide in; for others, she is a reward for good behavior and meeting goals; for still others, she is the non-judgmental listener that spurs hesitant children to practice their reading skills.
“If they want to talk just to her, they have that privilege,” Phillips said.
An autistic student earned the privilege of spending private time outdoors with Edie and Phillips. She taught him Edie’s commands and encouraged him to play ball with her. Unlike other dogs, Edie has been taught not to compete for a thrown ball, but to return it to the thrower.
The autistic boy was delighted with the game.
“She retrieved every time for him, and I almost cried,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, she does know what she’s doing.’ I was just really convinced that time that she is something special and she can pick up on what’s inside.
“I’d love to have one of these in every school,” Phillips said of Edie. “She’s completely human-universal acceptance. She does not discriminate at all.”
Phillips, a student support specialist and dedicated animal-lover, said that pets often have an overriding importance to children. She recalled one youngster who was going through an exceptionally stressful time, and paraphrased his response in the tense situation: “‘If I could have my turtle, I would be fine.’ A turtle isn’t very comforting to me, but it was to him,” she said.
Animals can make a difference, she said, even in lowering blood pressure of hospital patients.
“It’s the power of touch and the calming effect they have,” Phillips said.
Her goal is to expand Edie’s role to hospitals, day-care centers and nursing homes when time is available. The dog needs to work 40 hours a week to be considered a professional therapy dog.
Although Edie is well-trained for an exceptionally young dog, she receives continuing education and will have a four-week session in the spring. In June, she and Phillips should receive certification.
When Edie recently went back to CARES for a couple of weeks, children and staff stopped in Phillips’ office to inquire about Edie, and one class wrote her a letter.
“Really, she doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Phillips said of her interaction with people.
But she’s an extraordinary companion, trainer and motivator that adults and children alike find compelling. The dog is the target of hugs and kisses from all age groups. Phillips takes care not to let Edie’s adoring fans overwhelm her, however; only two hands can touch the dog at any given time.
She and Phillips walk the hallways, receive visitors in the office and go from room to room as needed. The time-out room is the only place Edie is prohibited from visiting.
Phillips said that Edie opens doors for talks on all sorts of topics pertinent to the individual children. Brushing Edie’s coat can open a conversation about personal hygiene.
“The kids see that I have to go outside and clean up after her,” Phillips said.
Almost anything Edie does or needs to have done can bring on a conversation about responsibilities, social skills and positive rewards, all without creating awkward or accusative moments.
With a little more training and practice, Edie will respond to more-complicated verbal commands. “Edie, go to Mrs. Black’s room” likely will be one of the first commands she perfects when she begins running errands alone.
Joni Black’s voice came over the intercom last week, to invite the pair to her classroom to meet student Evan Slayden’s new golden retriever puppy, Ginger.
“We think this is Edie’s favorite class,” Black said later, as the two dogs became acquainted.
Time with Edie is a reward for Black’s students. One of them has a small laminated photograph of her on his desk, with a personal note: “I hope to see you on Friday. Your friend, Edie.” When he meets behavior goals, the meetings happen.
“She’s been a real motivator for him,” Black said.
The changes that have happened already have been worth the modest cost of the dog.
Because she came from a non-profit training agency, the cost — including veterinary bills, feeding, and training for the dog and handler — was only $500. Those who purchase service dogs from for-profit trainers pay far more.
“They say, ‘You have a $10,000 dog,’” Phillips said. “I believe it.”
One reason Phillips is a believer is because Edie has helped her, too. Before she had the therapy dog, Phillips had not been comfortable talking to more than one or two people; speaking to groups was something to avoid. Edie has gotten her over that hurdle.
“She is really helping me to be able to talk,” Phillips said. “She’s helping me with that little disability that I have.”