Therapy dogs like Daisy can help ease students’ anxiety in the classroom.
“Sometimes it takes a while to settle the dog down,” Otto explains. “It’s very similar to the inmate. You will often see parallels with the inmate and the animal, especially when they are new to the program. They’ll bond together, form this trust, and then start working through the basic com- mands. If they want more advanced training, they can go from there.” Smith says Daisy was a very coachable dog.
“She likely had some previous obedience training, so they were able to
teach her very quickly,” he says. “If you hold up your hand and say, ‘High- fi ve,’ she’ll reach up and slap you back, or say, ‘Greet,’ and she’ll offer her paw for a quick handshake.” Modeled after a longstanding program at the Joseph Harp Correctional
Center in Lexington, Mabel Bassett launched its “Guardian Angels” animal training program three years ago. “We don’t have enough of these programs,” Otto says. “Programs are where the rehabilitation is, and we need to focus on that. The goal is to get one in every public prison in Oklahoma, because that will serve our state a lot better. “This program gives the offenders responsibility and increases their self
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esteem,” he adds. “The dog opens the door to change that I see in the of- fenders. The unconditional love, that gift, helps to open the door to com- munication. From that communication, they learn a skill.” Now a school therapy dog, Smith says Daisy seems to know when it’s time to go to work. “She has never fl inched when it comes to classroom settings or assem- blies, on any level whatsoever,” he says. “I was nervous the fi rst time I took her into a kindergarten classroom, because you’ve got all of these little kids that are eye-level with Daisy, and when you bring an animal into the room, they can’t control themselves. She’s in the center of the room with 20 kids around her, all poking and prodding, lifting up her ears, grabbing her tail and shaking it back and forth.” Pet therapy has produced positive results at Coyle, according to Smith. In one case, a teacher had a diffi cult time assessing the reading level of a third-grade student. The student was very timid. But, when they took the student to a separate classroom and asked him to read to Daisy, things changed. “Now that student is to the point where he reads in front of the class,” Smith says. “He’s gained confi dence, and we credit it to the icebreaker of reading one-on-one with Daisy.” School counselors also employ Daisy to help children express repressed feelings.
“Daisy can go into the offi ce, and the counselor will get down on the
fl oor with the kids and play with the dog. She’ll start with, ‘Tell me about your day, how are things going?’ and the kids are relaxed and open up.” Daisy can also reduce testing anxiety, Smith says. “We’ve used her in pre-testing and post-testing situations to get the nerves
out when we take state-mandated tests, end-of-instruction exams or even the ACT,” he says. “And when the kids have hit the wall afterward, you bring Daisy in and it kind of pushes the reset button.” Smith says he has no regrets since responding to that fateful Tweet almost two years ago. The family even celebrates Daisy’s “Gotcha Day” on November 7. “Daisy doesn’t see gender, race, creed, color or religious background,” he
adds. “As long as you’re making eye contact, she’s going to be your buddy, your friend and your support committee, all rolled into one. “Daisy was such a good fi t, right from the get-go. She truly is a dog of
destiny.”
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