A SCHOOL in Kinsale has welcomed more than just students through their doors this September, with the addition of their very own school therapy dog.
Scoil Naomh Eltin brought Seán, a four month old black poodle, into the school as part of the My Canine Companion (MCC) School Therapy Dog Programme and he has quickly become very popular.
“It’s more positive than I could have ever imagined,” said Julie Deasy, Seán’s main handler and a teacher in the school.
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“He’s only been here about three weeks and he’s already had such a positive influence on the school.”
“I thought we could get him to each class on the first day, but it took about a week,” she said, adding that children have been leaving notes and gifts for him every morning and queuing up outside her classroom window to catch a glimpse.
“Some kids might find the transition from home to school hard,” Ms Deasy continued.
“So they all know Seán is at the door, or Seán is in my room, and they might come in and get his bowl ready, or things like that.”
She explained that is one of the reasons they brought Seán in, “to provide a subtle support for children with different needs, and for any type of kid really that needs a bit of support.”
“He would also be used as kind of an alternative teaching tool, we’ve been using him for Irish, how to give commands as Gaeilge with him,” she said.
“We’ve been using him in reading groups, so children might prefer to read to him [rather] than to a huge classroom or to me. If some kids might be having a bad day, they can come in with Seán and sit and have a cuddle with him.”
She said the community is a very important part of this, with the MCC programme relying on fundraising and donations. Local businesses have been getting involved too, with Pet Essentials in Carrigaline providing dog food for the first year.
He lives with Ms Deasy and is supported by Marianne Hogan, a SNA and trained dog handler, during school hours.
Weekly trainings were provided at the beginning to ensure the safety of Seán and all involved. Ms Deasy said the training was “intense”, but well worth it for such a positive initiative.
