Eastern Iowa Has a New Super-Dog!
At this point in the summer, a lot of students would consider this S word a curse word. School.
School is right around the corner for kids across the entire state as they gear up for another fun year of learning. Most students in the state have a start day of August 23rd, which I find pretty unique. The 23rd of August is a Friday...There are a lot of kids who will go to school for 1 day and then enjoy their weekend. Where I grew up in Minnesota, school always started the day after Labor Day which meant we were always guaranteed 4 days of school to start each year.
While school can be an exciting time for parents, teachers, and students, it can also be stressful, especially for younger students. One eastern Iowa elementary school has added a new 'helper' to try and take away some of the stress these young students may face.
This helper just happens to have 4 legs and a tail.
*This is not the dog in this story even though they do look somewhat alike. This is a stock dog photo. You can see Sully in the video below.*
Meet Sully
According to KCRG, Clear Creek Elementary school has a new employee. Sully looks a little bit different than the average teacher you see inside of an elementary school classroom because Sully is a Therapy dog.
Sully's handler is Lindsey Shaull and she spoke to KCRG about Sully joining the CCE team. She's hopeful that he can help students deal with a wide range of emotions.
"It was the right place, right time. It was kind of meant to be. Go in and talk to Sully. I know that you’re really frustrated right now and you might not be ready to talk to me or another adult, so go share what happened with Sully and then when you’re calm and ready, you can come and talk to me."
For some students, Sully might just be a friend. For others, he can be used as a tool to help students dealing with anxiety, depression, or other mental health struggles kids might face on a daily basis. The plan is for Sully to help elementary students for the foreseeable future.
What is a Therapy Dog?
What is the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog? The biggest difference is a service dog is trained to perform specific tasks to help someone with disabilities. Service dogs are allowed public access rights and are allowed to go most places with their handler. The exceptions would be certain areas in a hospital or certain areas in a laboratory where a sterile environment is required. Service dogs are expected to keep their handlers safe and help them survive.
According to Therapy Dogs, these types of animals are trained to provide comfort and affection to multiple people and not just their handlers. Areas where people need affection, comfort, or love can be exposed to therapy dogs. These dogs are trained to have a warm disposition.
Shaull is excited to hear stories from students on how Sully helped impact their lives. She told KCRG
"I’m just excited to see it and hear the stories from previous students on how he impacted them while they were here. Things that we may not know at the time. While they’re going through school here, hearing those stories after they’ve left and how he impacted them in a positive way is what I’m most looking forward to down the road."
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Gallery Credit: Courtlin