Amazing Pets - Therapy Dog, or High School Teacher?

This therapy dog helps students and her owners alike

Ben Clark, 16, didn’t like dogs. In fact: “He was terrified of dogs,” says Ben’s mother, Carolyn Clark. Needless to say, she was worried when she found out a dog was joining her son’s special education classroom at Free State High School in Lawrence, Kan. “I thought my son would be so concerned with the dog that he would not be able to think about anything else,” Carolyn said, “but Zoë is so calm and gentle that he gradually overcame his fear of her … and he’s now less fearful of other dogs and animals.”

Helping conquer fears is just one way 3-year-old Labrador Zoë assists students. “Kids with fairly severe physical disabilities will walk her, which is good because she gives them a reason to get moving,” says Zoë’s owner Will Severson, a special education teacher. “Last year, one of the kids with mobility problems had a hard time getting down on the floor, but whenever Zoë was around, this girl went right up to her and plopped herself down.”

Zoë has worked alongside Mr. Severson as a therapy dog for three years. She has become a part of the school’s landscape. Two examples: She has her picture in the yearbook alongside everyone else, and Mr. Severson once overheard another teacher telling his class at the beginning of the school year, “If you’re ever having a bad day, go down to Room 262 and see Zoë. She will make you feel better!”

The high school’s principal, Ed West, appreciates the way parents and teachers work together to figure Zoë into a plan for students. “The impact of therapy in Zoë’s title of therapy dog is certainly visible,” Principal West says.

A New Beginning
Zoë has even been therapeutic for her owners. Several years ago, Mr. Severson and his wife, Margaret, had to put down their 14-year-old Labrador, Emma. They thought they were finished with pets: “Emma was so special and it was hard when she died,” Mr. Severson says. But, after a couple of months, Mr. Severson saw that life without a dog was not working. So the Seversons again decided to find a canine companion—and not just any dog. “I wanted a dog who could go to work with me, because I didn’t want to leave her alone every day,” Mr. Severson said.

So began the search for a pet suited to being a therapy dog. The couple found Zoë. They brought her home when she was 7 weeks old and took her to puppy school soon thereafter. At 11 months old, she was tested for the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen award, a requirement for therapy dogs. She passed with flying colors.

Mr. Severson marvels at finding a dog that’s right for his family and his school, where he’s taught for the last 12 years. “A building that has a dog is a happier place,” Mr. Severson says. “A dog sends the message that this school is a good place. Kids pet her. They sit on the floor and read with her. They use her as a pillow. They just love her.”

Building Special Bonds
Those who receive the most tangible benefit from interacting with Zoë are those who need it most: the special-needs students who Mr. Severson works with daily. Zoë calms those who tend to be temperamental and builds up others who lack confidence.

“Zoë’s greatest impact is that of unconditional love,” says Principal West. “Approaching Zoë while having a good day or a not-so-good day results in the same outcome: friendly acknowledgement and a moment of peace. Many of our students benefit from Zoë’s participation at Free State. Without a doubt, nerves are calmed and potentially volatile situations are replaced by heartwarming encounters. It is awfully hard to spend time with a tail-wagging dog and remain in a negative mood, isn’t it?”