Have you even come home from a particularly bad or tense day and hugged your dog? Dogs are known as man’s best friend for a good reason–they are loyal, friendly, and always happy when they get attention. Dogs interact so well with humans that some canines are trained to be therapy dogs. These dogs are allowed in public places to make people feel more calm and happy. All schools should have therapy dogs visit their buildings to promote student and faculty wellness.
Students are usually stressed about homework and schoolwork, presentations and scripts. Some students feel so nervous in front of their whole class, scared to mess up one word. A solution could be therapy dogs: “Studies have shown that even small interactions with dogs cause the human brain to produce oxytocin, a hormone often referred to as the ‘cuddle chemical.’ Oxytocin increases feelings of relaxation, trust, and empathy while reducing stress and anxiety, (Pets For Patriots). These hormones that cause relaxation could also help students in school by reducing stress and anxiety.
You may still be wondering: Do we really need to have therapy dogs? They could distract students. Yes, dog could distract students, but the pros outweigh the cons. Therapy dogs can help boost student performance and mood in multiple ways: “Visits by therapy dogs to educational settings have been associated by researchers with many benefits. These include improvements in children’s behavior, reduced anxiety, increased self-esteem, enhanced motivation and overall well-being. Those improvements in turn can facilitate learning and contribute to gains in learning outcomes, such as reading” (The Ohio State University). Since therapy dogs have a multitude of benefits for children, they should be allowed to be seen in schools.
All in all, therapy dogs can help students focus more in school, understand subjects better, reduce stress and anxiety, and much, much more. If you’d like to see therapy dogs in your school, email your principal. Ask questions about why your school doesn’t have therapy dog visits, tell them the benefits of having therapy dogs in your school, and maybe one day a furry friend could halp you relax while you are learning.
