On February 1, a small group of students were able to meet a special guest, Jake the therapy dog.  Jake is a 7-year-old cavapoo who has been working for Pet Partners for one year. Pet Partners is a nationwide organization that credentials animals to provide emotional support to people affected by crisis events.

The organization can register many types of animals, not just dogs. This includes cats, equines, rabbits, guinea pigs, llamas and alpacas, birds, miniature pigs, and rats.

Therapy dogs like Jake can be very help with social and emotional skills and behaviors in the classroom and school. Therapy dogs increase social interaction, improve emotional regulation and stability, and reduce anxiety. In general, dogs don’t receive training but they are assessed to be calming agents and amble to assist humans and other dogs.

Jake is a really cute and well-behaved dog who is very loyal to his owner. Jake demonstrates how being around dogs and animals in general can improve one’s mood and have positive health benefits. We hope to see more of Jake the therapy dog in the future.