Easton Daniels pets Lizzie the Australian
Shepherd with his classmates .
One of the TheraPet dogs , Biscuit , receives loads of attention as students brush her coat .
Shannon Helderlein snuggles close to Lizzie , one of Therapet ’ s certified therapy dogs .
“ Students often have a hard time putting into words what the program does for their emotional and mental health , but it is extremely beneficial to the students ’ well being ,” Costner said . “ One student ’ s whole demeanor changed last week while he was hugging a therapy dog . You could visibly see the stress melt off of him as he stated that he didn ’ t know how much he needed this .”
The dogs were able to interact with 36 students in small groups , and they were able pet , brush , and love on the dogs , Lizzie , Pearl , and Biscuit , during their time there .
“ The students absolutely loved getting to interact with the three therapy dogs that visited .” Costner said . “ Every student left with a decrease in anxiety and a smile on their face !”
This isn ’ t the first time BIS has brought Therapet to their campus . In March 2022 , they brought 2 therapy dogs , who were able to return this year .
“ We were excited to host three therapy dogs in January through Therapet ,” Costner said . “ We welcomed two returning therapy dogs to our campus from March 2022 and were excited to have another therapy dog join us this year .”
BIS also talked with Therapet about the possibility of visiting our campus throughout the year on a scheduled basis . In February , we are looking at scheduling Therapet Read Certified dogs to come visit our reading students in our Response to Intervention program . The students will be able to gain confidence with vocabulary and reading fluency while reading to a therapy dog .
“ We are very thankful Therapet came to visit our students ,” Costner said . “ It was the highlight of their week , and the benefits to the students are invaluable .”
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