WATCH: The use of therapy dogs in south-west schools is on the rise.
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00:00 - I'm Leah Boyd and this is Cooper.
00:01 He's a golden retriever.
00:03 He's been a very calm dog since we adopted him.
00:08 So we thought therapy dog was just the thing for him.
00:11 - I'm Lucy Davidson.
00:12 This is Norman.
00:13 He's a Labrador retriever.
00:15 He's also five years old.
00:17 He was from a breeder outside of Geelong and I had him
00:21 and then the school was given funding to get a therapy dog
00:24 and Kylie, our principal,
00:26 decided that Norman was the perfect fit.
00:27 So we did the training and here we are.
00:30 - We've noticed a big change with our students
00:34 is that he just creates a calm sense.
00:37 They'll come in, they all wanna greet Cooper.
00:40 They say good morning.
00:41 He kinda calms that, like,
00:42 yes, certain ones that might be feeling anxious that day,
00:46 he seems to know and he'll walk up to them,
00:48 just like he is doing right now,
00:50 and he'll just kinda cuddle up.
00:51 And the kids have learned that if they're calm,
00:56 he'll probably choose them to come sit next to
00:59 or lie next to.
01:00 - My little preppy that I've gotten here,
01:02 she has a bit of language,
01:04 but she's pretty nonverbal as well.
01:05 And so when she's on the floor having a rest or something,
01:08 Norm will go up to her,
01:09 poke his head into her, check to see she's okay.
01:12 And then the times too that it might take his lead off
01:15 as well too, I've got another student
01:17 that will just run laps with him around the room.
01:19 That'll get his energy out too,
01:21 but then Norm knows how to say,
01:24 no, I'm finished, I need a rest, that sort of thing.
01:25 But the kids are really great with him,
01:27 that they can have that, yeah, the zoomy time,
01:29 but the calm time as well too.
01:31 - Story Dogs is a non-profit organisation
01:35 where kids read to the dog
01:42 and that gives them a non-judgmental environment.
01:48 And so it helps to get their attention
01:55 get their confidence and make reading fun
01:59 for lifelong learning.
02:03 Sadie's a Labradoodle and she's almost five years old.
02:06 She's been used to children
02:11 because we have nine grandchildren.
02:14 So when all this came about,
02:18 I thought that she would be suitable.
02:20 She interacts really well with them.
02:22 The minute I bring the vest out in the mornings,
02:25 she's ready to go.
02:26 And then she gets there, she doesn't run around.
02:29 She's happy to just sit beside them.
02:31 Usually puts her head on their knee.
02:34 And you can find that most of the children
02:37 just pat her on the head as they read.
02:40 - Yeah, so her name's Lily and she's two years old today.
02:44 She's a Kelpie-Cooley cross, which I got from the pound.
02:48 - When you're upset, lonely, scared, tired, irrational,
02:54 any of those, you know the effect that an animal can have
02:57 on you, whether it be a dog or a cat
02:58 or whatever that special animal is for you.
03:01 So I think it actually just allows us
03:03 to actually regulate, calm down our bodies,
03:06 reduce our heart rate.
03:07 And that could be like two minutes,
03:10 it could be seven minutes, it could be 10 minutes.
03:12 It just depends on the need.
03:13 And Glenny just pivots in, pivots out.
03:17 Lily pivots in and pivots out with the dog as well.
03:19 - And you know, it's not just the kids either.
03:21 Like in the staff room at lunchtime,
03:24 a lot of the staff, not everybody,
03:26 but a lot of the staff, they just smile and just,
03:30 oh Lily, and it just makes them feel happier too, I reckon.
03:34 - It's a connection, isn't it?
03:35 - Yeah.
03:36 - As much as anything, isn't it, really?
03:36 - Yeah.
03:37 (gentle music)
03:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]