Hiba Mudassir and Maddie Pool
eSomethin Staff
Let’s be honest here, school can be really stressful sometimes. Do you know what helps make a ruff day better?
Hugging a dog!
But how? At school?
Well, here’s a question for you: have you met Taft?
Facility dogs have received specialized training and work as team members with a facilitator in health care, visiting, or educational settings. PHS has our very own (adorable) facility dog, Taft!
How did PHS get so lucky to have Taft be a hallway companion? Mrs.Alana Sigg is a counselor for the school and the district’s coordinator for facility dogs. She is also known as the “pioneer woman” for the facility dog program.
Sigg said she was in charge of helping the buildings get organized, training teachers, and setting up programs to utilize facility dogs; which are different than therapy dogs in our buildings to help students.
Back in 2013, when Sigg was a counseling intern, she had her first encounter with facility dogs.
“The counselor I worked with had a dog […] at that time they were called therapy dog […] and you know I fell in love with this program […] I think you would agree that sometimes it’s hard to relate to people and sometimes, especially with our pet that it’s just easier to go home and you know to dump all of our feelings on them. So I had the opportunity and experience and when I left I knew that at one point or another in my career somewhere this was going to be a part of what I do.”
She then went on to add that “Perrysburg was the first opportunity where I had someone say ‘You wanna do that? Go do it‘ and it was, like, unbelievable.”
Taft is the first official facility dog in Perrysburg Schools, and he certainly makes everyone happy every day by welcoming them inside. Taft’s handlers, Sigg and Janice Ray, the dean of students, can be seen accompanying Taft as he passes periods in the corridors, lunch periods, and occasionally visits classrooms.
Ray told us that the goal was to eventually get a facility dog at all the schools in the district through Circle Tails. The Junior High School has Saltz as their facility dog and Hugo is the service pup at Woodland Elementary. The program has generated positive feedback from staff, students, and parents.
“It’s made school not feel like an unwelcoming place but a place that they can come in, Taft has been like the number one tool that seems to make a difference,” said Ray.
She also mentioned that the staff has noticed an increase in attendance amongst the students since Taft’s arrival. Knowing that they have a safe space at school encourages them to come in and step out of their comfort zones, talk to more people, take part in more extracurricular activities, and reach out to staff members if they need assistance or guidance.
“He’s a people person,” John Henline, one of Taft’s handlers, said of the Perrysburg High School pooch.
Around the school, there are posters that guide students on how to interact with Taft and the other facility dogs. Taft adores being petted under his chin and on his shoulders. Upon request, he will be permitted to greet you. He should only be concentrating on his handler while he is walking since he is working and so students and staff are requested to refrain from petting him while he is maintaining his focus.
So next time you see Taft in the hallways, don’t be shy and go say hi! Anything is paw-sible after you’ve spent time with Taft!
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