Our first guest speaker using the zoom format was Grant Shannon. Grant is the founder of Dogs Connect. He was a teacher for fifteen years during which time he was challenged by some student behaviours and felt inadequate in finding helpful ways to respond. Further study impressed on him the importance of building empathy. Grant had success in reading stories about dogs especially to boys who were demonstrating violent behaviours. At this point he realised why not give students a real dog to interact with in these situations?  

 

Mankind and dogs are always associated with connectedness, wellbeing and mental health. Grant decided to set up a dog as a permanent member of a school community. The dog is termed a wellbeing dog and a core group in the community takes responsibility for management and programming. The dog moves seamlessly around the school moving in and out of classrooms without being a disruption to learning. 

 

There is a strong body of research to say that engaging with a dog because there is no judgement is a safe way for students to practise and develop social skills. Grant regularly observes a shift in attitude, the breaking down of barriers, positive connections and interactions with others and the proper regulation of emotions.

 

It takes a two terms to make the necessary arrangements to have a dog in a school. Labradors and related breeds are the most common. It is important to have a non-shedding breed. Staff take responsibility for the dog overnight and at weekends. Bendigo Community Health is the major sponsor of the program. We thank Grant for his very engaging presentation which generated a lot of questions and interest.