Our School Dog
Lottie
You had me at hello!
The Dog Mentor programme has built upon the benefits of the human-animal bond by providing children with positive experiences with dogs that can help them educationally, developmentally, emotionally and socially. The aim of The Dog Mentor is to create a completely universal offering in our school for not only social, emotional and mental health, but also to cover all aspects of curriculum-based education in order to improve educational outcomes.
Our school dog is called Lottie, she is owned by Mrs Davis and will go home with her every day and in school holidays. Lottie is a cockapoo and this breed was chosen as they are hypoallergenic, child-friendly, sociable, and have great trainability.
Lottie is a fully-fledged member of our school community who comes to school 4 days a week. She was born on 27th April 2021, and began her work in school in September 2021. Lottie passed her Dog Mentor Programme and has completed Kennel Club training from puppy up to Gold standard. Mrs Davis and Mrs Walker have both received training to by her handler in school.
While in school, Lottie’s main place of residence will be in Mrs Davis’ office, which is secure and separate from the classrooms. Children are able to interact with Lottie under strict supervision throughout her days in school. All children will have the opportunity to learn how to behave around dogs, and parents can withdraw permission for their child to be in contact with the dog.
Numerous research studies have shown the benefits of having dogs in schools and evidence indicates that the areas of potential benefits include:
- Cognitive development – companionship with a dog stimulates memory, problem solving, game playing and can improve reading skills.
- Emotional development – a school dog can improve self-esteem, acceptance from others, and lift moods, often provoking laughter and fun. Dogs can also teach compassion and respect for other living things as well as relieving anxiety.
- Physical development – interaction with a pet reduces blood pressure, provides tactile stimulation, assists with pain management, gives motivation to move, walk and stimulates the senses.
- Environmental benefits – a dog in a school contributes towards the creation of home style environment, with all of the above benefits continuing long after the school day is over.
- Social benefits – a dog provides a positive mutual topic for discussion, encourages responsibility, wellbeing, developing social skills and focused interaction with others.
