Casey bears school colors when he’s on duty at Grosse Pointe North High School.
The joy is evident on students’ faces as they shuffle through the hallways between classes at Grosse Pointe North High School. Their Cheshire Cat-like grins come during encounters with Casey, the school’s new therapy dog.
Casey, along with Larry, who works with “mom” Stacey Roy at Defer and Maire elementary schools, is fairly new to the district. Both dogs received therapy dog training funded by The Family Center of Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods.
“We don’t pay for the dogs, just the training,” said MaryJo Harris, director of programs and administration with The Family Center. “The kids love therapy dogs.”
It was in the halls at North that Casey’s “mom,” Mollie Keuten, learned about the role of therapy dogs and pursued the opportunity herself.
“In January, the counseling staff brought therapy dogs in for back to school,” Harris said. “Mollie told me her dog had just died. She was struggling; it was hard. We talked about getting a therapy dog and she said if she got a dog, would The Family Center pay for training.”
“Casey lived with his original family for five years until they surrendered him to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan,” Keuten said. “Due to his allergies, they were unable to give him the proper care he needed. He then went to three foster homes before we found each other. It really was meant to be that he joined our family, as we all have fallen head over heels with him.”
Casey, a 6-year-old golden retriever, sits with Keuten in the front office at North, where he has a bed and a special bone to chew. Keuten, a building sub and lunchtime detention monitor, as well as freshman class co-adviser, takes Casey wherever she goes.
“If I have to go to a classroom to sub, I have to go before the bell rings,” she said, noting Casey’s popularity may make her late for class. “He came to detention with me today and the kids were receptive. … He’s very good here.”
She noted that students light up when they see Casey, who usually is decked out in a tie or ascot.
“Their whole demeanor changes,” she said. “… He gives everyone amazing neutral baseline happiness. Having a bad day? Here’s a dog. Hungry? Here’s a dog. Tired? Here’s a dog. … Just looking at a dog makes people happy. And if they’re not interested, they can look away.”
Casey went through obedience training and was certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs.
“The lady who ran the (obedience) class was a tester for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs,” Keuten said. “She guided us in the direction we needed to go for him to become a therapy dog.
Larry gets comfortable between Henry O’Laughlin, left, and John Vader while Stacey Roy supervises.
“He gets lots of exposure,” she continued. “I take him everywhere — car rides, school pickup. Wherever he can go, he goes.”
Casey began visiting North toward the end of last school year; he returned last month.
“Not only were MaryJo and (counselor) Jill Davenport heavily involved, but (former North Principal) Kate Murray was very supportive in making this a reality,” Keuten said.
Though Casey doesn’t have a set schedule at North, Keuten plans to bring him to school one full day each week.
“He loves coming to school,” she said. “Anytime he sees his harness or my work bag, he’s eagerly and excitedly waiting at the door — which he can open by himself — to start his day of work. Since he rules the house, if Casey is happy, we’re all happy.”
Students and staff alike have been receptive to having Casey around, she added.
“Thank you to MaryJo and everyone at North who has embraced this,” Keuten noted. “It’s a wonderful, wonderful thing and hopefully dogs can bring us all together.”
Larry received the same warm reception at Defer and Maire, where he spends most of his time sitting with students in Roy’s reading groups. Roy also brings him along to special events, like Defer’s Breakfast with the Principal.
“When I have time in my schedule, kids will come and visit him,” she added.
Larry, a 3-year-old golden retriever, also was certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Like Casey, he worked on obedience, as well as being in various public settings.
Photos by Renee Landuyt
Casey gets friendly pets during a visit to Aileen Hurtig’s German class.
“He’s gone through basic training,” Roy said. “He worked with an assessor on how not to react in certain situations.”
Larry was the Roy family’s personal dog when Roy took notice of the popularity of therapy dogs in other school districts.
“His demeanor was so gentle at his age, I thought he might be a good candidate,” she added.
Roy reached out to other teachers with therapy dogs and learned about the training process. She also was connected with The Family Center.
Lala Broner stops to pet Larry during a visit to the Maire Elementary School office.
“They’re the ones that sponsor some of the cost,” Roy said. “They covered basic training and some of the materials he needed.
“… He was certified at the end of last (school) year and was at Defer,” she added.
When she brought Larry to Maire, she gave a slideshow to students on the rules, including using quiet voices and asking first before petting the dog.
“I’m trained to look for the dog’s reactions,” Roy noted, “like nervousness or if he’s unsettled. Then it’s time for a break if he’s overstimulated.”
Roy spends mornings at Maire and afternoons at Defer. Larry joins her two or three days a week.
“I get a lot of positive comments like, ‘He made me feel so good today’ and ‘We love seeing him,’” she said, “especially from kids who are not allowed to have family dogs because of allergies in the family or whatever reasons the family can’t have a dog.”
Both Keuten and Roy are well aware not everyone is comfortable around dogs.
“I let them know they don’t have to pet him; they can wave to him instead,” Roy said.
“I’m also very mindful of allergies and sensitivities.”
Roy said she has received great support from both schools and has seen the difference among students, as well as staff.
“He brings out a different kind of comfort to kids than anything else,” she said. “They see it as positive experience at school. All sorts of kids come up and hug him. It’s a chance to have affection and comfort during the school day. It’s something they like coming to school for.”
Casey and Larry are the second and third therapy dogs whose training was funded by The Family Center. Two years ago, the nonprofit helped train Ferry Elementary School Principal Jodie Randazzo’s dog, Chupa.
“Anytime we do a Wellness Day at the schools, we bring therapy dogs from different organizations,” said Jennifer Bingaman, executive director of The Family Center. “They (GPPSS) saw the value of having them there and established guidelines around a therapy dog program for the schools.”
Casey happily chews a bone while his “mom,” Mollie Keuten, works.
“We would love to partner with other schools that have therapy dogs,” Harris said. “Someone has to have a dog that’s able to be trained and has the right personality.”
With funding from The Family Center, dog owners choose the training program that works for them and their schedule.
“If a school comes to us and has approval to move forward, The Family Center is glad to support it,” Bingaman said. “The kids just love the dogs.”
Added Harris, “Even kids that have dogs at home, it doesn’t matter. When they see dogs in school, if they’re having a bad day, the dog takes their mind off of what’s happening, even just for a few minutes.”
For more information, visit familycenterhelps.org or call (313) 447-1374.
Therapy dogs within school settings
The Grosse Pointe Public School System’s therapy dog program purpose states, in part, “There is longstanding evidence that there is a strong association between well-being and learning outcomes. Children with higher levels of well-being learn more effectively, have lower levels of absenteeism at school, better academic engagement and also have more satisfying and successful peer relationships.”
Research has found that therapy dogs increase students’ well-being by:
* reducing physiological symptoms of stress through lowering cortisol levels;
* increasing positive emotions;
* promoting engagement in learning activities and positive attitudes toward learning;
* reducing negative behaviors such as anxiety, task avoidance and aggression in the classroom; and
* encouraging prosocial behaviors like self-esteem and motivation, as well as acting as a social catalyst to facilitate social encounters with others.
link