In 2023, Clifton schools welcomed their first therapy dog, a Goldendoodle named Chewie. The school officials have seen immense success with the pup helping students deal with stressors quite efficiently. Children have benefited from the experiment, which has led to the New Jersey schools looking to introduce more canines like him to their program.
Clifton schools plan to expand therapy dog program
Chewbacca, lovingly called Chewie or Chewy, was the authorities’ best decision. As per NorthJersey, canines have been proven to be highly beneficial for kids with issues that stemmed from the pandemic, such as social media overload. Moreover, Chewie has proven to be a cost-effective choice for school officials, as out-of-district tuition is way more taxing on the wallet.
Authorities are considering welcoming two or more therapy dogs to their program. The funding for the same doesn’t come from the school budget, so they have to figure out where they could gather the money to pay for the pups. The Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Mark Gengaro, noted that the ideal number would be having “a therapy dog in each school.”
As for the breed, the school officials are aiming for Goldendoodle pups only. However, they might go for a regular Goldendoodle and a Miniature Goldendoodle to mix it up. There is also the possibility of asking staff to volunteer. They can train their canines using the allocated budget and bring them to school instead.
Volunteering would be ideal as the authorities only have to cover the expense of training the pups. Then, they can add as many as eight therapy dogs to their program. However, Gengaro will first need to check in with the staff to see if there is any interest in the proposal.
Earlier this year, Chewie celebrated his first birthday, proudly parading around the gymnasium to celebrate, NorthJersey reported. The Goldendoodle visits about 250 to 300 classrooms and is often present for school events. However, the handler plays a crucial role in this program as they must ensure the canine isn’t overloaded with social interactions. One can do that by closely observing their dogs and how the pups react to people approaching them.
