Schoolnurse’s Weblog

Lulu just before the dog agility exhibition. She owns ten dogs, four of them are certified therapy dogs.

Last year some of our school administrators came up with the idea to have a program where a dog comes to school to help struggling students to read.   Supposedly it is research-based, and I did find an article in National Geographic about it.   A Librarian I know said she knew of another situation where children read to pigs.  The thinking is that the animals will not judge a child’s reading ability. I found out about the program when I saw this little white ball of fluff prancing through our carpeted library leaving a trail of dander behind it.  About two years ago a parent in another school insisted on bringing her family dog into a classroom to help her disabled son socialize.  In both of these situations nobody thought to take into account  the numerous children in our schools with asthma and allergies.  In the second situation there were two children exposed to the dog who became so ill that they were in the Emergency Room that evening.  When I mentioned this to my administrators, I was verbally attacked, “Whenever I try to do something good, there is somebody to ruin it”.

Our school has over 200 asthmatic children, and several others with severe dog allergies.  I tried to suggest a process where this could be set up, such as screening the participants.  I was met with resistance and labeled a dog hater.

I was able to work with my Medical Director, and she contacted my principal to come up with a plan.  First the School Nurse examined the list of participants to see if they had medical conditions that would be a problem if they were near a dog.  Students that were medically cleared had to have parental permission, and the parents had to state that their children did not have a problem being exposed to dogs.  Then administrators chose a somewhat segretated area of the school where the dogs and children could meet.   That area could not have a rug or cloth surfaces where dog hair and dander could linger. The custodians were in on the plan as well. They agreed to clean the reading area after the dog left.

When it came time to start the reading, things went off without incident.  I am not sure how much it helped the students, from what I understand they still have difficulty reading.  I am still trying to shake my reputation as a dog hater.   I have nothing against our canine friends,  but we have to care about the humans as well.