As usual, Coco has been a very busy Bright Spot Therapy Dog. It makes me smile to read what she has to say. Coco also writes about Molly, the new Therapy Dog at her school, who just recently became a certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog. Enjoy…
I spent another exciting and rewarding week at school with Mom. I went with her on Wednesday and Friday again, working with lots of different students. Molly, our other therapy dog, worked Tuesday and Thursday, making many students very happy.
Molly is really enjoying her new celebrity status at school. She thinks it is neat when lots of kids get excited and call her name in the hallway and as she walks into the building Tuesday and Thursday mornings. A lot of students have been asking to meet her and spend time with her. Being the new Melican Middle School therapy dog makes Molly feel very special…and it sure beats hanging out at home all day with two cats while her family is at work. Molly is helping her mom, Julie, a lot with meeting new students. Julie is one of the guidance counselors at school. Having Molly at school is helping many of the new sixth graders find their way down to the guidance office. Some seventh graders, who didn’t have much contact with Julie in the past, are now stopping by and connecting with Julie a lot more this year because of Molly.
One student, who really likes dogs, stayed home from the sixth grade Stone Environmental School overnight trip. He expressed some disappointment about that because most of the other students were at Stone, but the good news was that he got to spend a lot of quality time with Molly. He had three different meeting times with Molly on Tuesday, including a walk and spending lunch with her. At one point in the day he said, “This is turning out to be a great day…I got to see Molly three times!” His special education teacher said to Julie the next day, “Whatever you did with him while he was down in guidance, he came back to class looking so happy and energized! It was great.”
Two friends spent some time in the guidance office on Thursday because they needed a quiet place to talk and resolve some differences they were having. The students wanted to talk without Julie present, but Molly stayed in the office with them. The conversation started off a little bit tense, with the students upset with each other, but by the end of the conversation both of them were laughing together and petting Molly. These students are very mature and caring, so they probably would have sorted their differences without any support, but having the quiet space and a friendly dog nearby made things a little easier for them. Nice job, Molly!
One student has been late almost every day this year. Mom and the school psychologist decided to try to help him out using Molly and me. He LOVES dogs, has two at home, and always enjoys time with me. On Monday, a plan was hatched – if he made it to school on time, he could walk me on Wednesdays and Fridays, and he could walk Molly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The plan worked! He was on time for the rest of the week, and he walked Molly and me, smiling throughout the walks with us, and feeling very proud that he made it to school on time. We are hopeful that he will continue to come on time this week.
On Wednesday, I spent time with many students, in small groups and in one-on-one settings. I got to go for several walk with students, which I enjoy very much. One girl, who had never met me, requested some time with me. She and Mom talked for about fifteen minutes. She talked about how much she loves dogs, but that she cannot have one at home. She talked about her sister leaving for college and taking her cat with her. She is hoping for her own cat soon because she understands the benefits of having an animal. She petted me the entire time, and was very appreciative of the time she had with me. Another student was feeling extremely anxious and was losing control. Mom and I went to his classroom and sat next to him. He petted me and was able to calm himself down. After school, Mom and I headed to Greenfield to visit with our friend in a nursing home. She had been having a terrible day, feeling sad and confused, and Mom and I cheered her up, if only for ninety minutes or so. She loves animals, and talks to Mom about missing Susie and Buttercup, the cats she left behind when she became too physically compromised to live on her own.
On Friday, I also spent time with lots of students. I walked with a girl and her friend. The girl is very anxious and is struggling. She and her friend walked me last Friday, too, and she hopes to continue each Friday. As we walked around the building and talked, other students joined us. Students were in Homeroom Connection, and many of them were outside playing games and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. By the time we reached the front of the building, our group had grown to ten students. The conversation and chatter from the students is interesting to listen to, and I love all the attention.
On our way home from school, Mom and I stopped in Auburn to visit the friend we met last Friday, who is in a nursing home. He was on the phone when we arrived, and I heard him say, “Oh, I’ve gotta go – my dog is here!” Mom and I visited with him for twenty minutes or so. He let me give him kisses on his face, and he petted me throughout the visit. He and Mom talked about dogs, work, and family. As we walked outside with him, we stopped several times so others could pet me and talk to Mom. If we hadn’t been heading to Vermont for the weekend, Mom says we would have stayed longer and visited with more residents. Our friend hopes to be home by next Friday, but we will stop anyway, and if he is not there we will visit with other residents. Mom says I am a “hit” there, and it makes sense for us to stop each Friday. Sounds good to me!
On Saturday, Toby, Sophie, and I went with Mom, Dad, Gram, and Grampa to the Blessing of the Animals in Lyndonville, Vermont. We were blessed – whatever that means – and we got some treats. I got to hike in the woods and visit with lots of people over the weekend. On our way home from Vermont on Sunday, we stopped to see our friend in Greenfield. She was so happy to see Sophie and me at the same time, since Mom usually only brings one of us at a time to visit her. She explained that weekends feel especially long in the nursing home, and she says we brightened her day. It brightened my day, too, because I love spending time with her. When we got there, she said, “My day is much better because you came to visit me today.” We feel the same way. ~Coco