Mount St Catherine’s Primary School in Armagh is the proud home to a new furry member of the staff. Scooby, a therapy labradoodle, is helping change the lives of the students! Scooby just started at the school. He was originally trained by Assistance Dogs NI and began his life as a therapy dog from an early age. His very presence at the school has already begun to have a tremendous impact on the school’s climate and culture. He improves attendance rates and provides critical emotional support to students in need.
Leave it to Scooby to save the day! This introduction builds onto a more comprehensive program focused on helping SEN pupils and integrating newcomer students. Mount St Catherine’s caters for a total of around 160 pupils, of which 60 have SEN and 93 are recent arrivals. The entire school community has welcomed Scooby with open arms, taking note of the sheer joy and happiness he adds to their environment. Eleven-year-old Aimee shared her enthusiasm for the therapy dog: “He likes to go visit everybody.”
So much more than simply offering companionship, Scooby intentionally soothes fretful youngsters and inspires shyer, non-verbal students to speak up during lessons. McCaul, who is a teacher, is Scooby’s foster mom. To illustrate her point, she shared the stark contrast the pooch has created in the school’s overall climate. She added, “The change has been so rewarding, it’s all been worth the work to get Scooby completely trained!”
Jolene was able to elaborate on Scooby’s extremely positive impact on communication between the students. “We have kids that are not verbal that are literally beginning to talk,” she said. Of growing concern to her is that children are connecting more and more with each other. “Now, they’re not just calling Scooby by name, but they’re saying goodbye and hello,” she described. Stories from these recent events underscore the deep emotional bonds that can develop between children and therapy dogs.
Gary Jordan, a devoted member of the staff, was integral to Scooby’s successfully becoming part of the school. Most importantly, he opened my eyes to the special relationship children develop with dogs. “Children will communicate with a dog before they will communicate with humans, and I have found that day in, day out,” he remarked. He elaborated on how therapy dogs such as Scooby give children a non-judgmental, safe space to connect with and open up to.
The buzz created by Scooby is undoubtedly felt all throughout the school. Pupils have even composed a unique song in his honor, which they enthusiastically belt out each day long assembly. This gesture shows how beloved Scooby is, not just by students, but by the staff as well.
