Our school is fortunate to have two therapy dogs, Daisy and Rosie, both West Highland terriers (Westies), who belong to our counselor, Marty Couch. She first had the idea of using therapy dogs at school when she noticed how her pet, Daisy, was able to calm and cheer up her foster children at home. Daisy was subsequently trained as a therapy dog and began coming to school every day with Ms. Couch. Rosie, a younger Westie, has recently joined Daisy at school to replace her when she retires.
Therapy dogs must be calm and good-natured and allow unfamiliar people to pet them or make other physical contact. Daisy has been such a comfort to our students when they are sad, or scared, or just in need of a quiet friend. She greets students in the morning, helping those children who are having difficulty beginning their day. Daisy assists students with special needs as well as students whose needs are special. I’m sure many stories have been told or read at school to Daisy’s non-judgmental ears.
Drawing Daisy
Recently I "borrowed" Daisy to model for my kindergarten students. The kids were familiar with her and didn’t make a fuss about her being there. We put Daisy in the middle of the rug in my room and she immediately fell asleep, which was perfect for our exercise. We all sat on the floor around Daisy in the middle, not crowding her.
I begin the discussion by asking my students why Daisy and Rosie were at our school. Student responses included "to help us," "to keep us from being sad," "to lick our hands," "to let us pet them," and "to be a friend."
I gave each child a clipboard with a 9” x 12” piece of black paper and a white oil pastel. I chose these materials because Daisy was white, but the color and paper used could certainly be different for a different animal.
While Daisy rested, my students drew her picture after I asked them to describe her fur, which was pretty curly. Near the end of class, the counselor came down to see the students' drawings as they were finishing and to retrieve Daisy. It was a great experience for us all - children, teacher, counselor, and Daisy.
Bringing in living creatures to art class is definitely engaging and motivating for your students. I have also brought in a rabbit and other classroom pets. Craig Hinshaw is a good friend of mine who inspired this experience, as he has brought to school a turkey, a chicken, and a horse. Supposedly, when the artist Georgia O’Keeffe was teaching art in West Texas, she brought in a pony. I would let your administrators know your plans ahead of time. I can’t imagine they would say no.
Nancy Walkup is the editor-in-chief of SchoolArts Magazine and a longtime elementary art teacher. She taught this lesson at W.S. Ryan Elementary School in Denton, Texas. nancywalkup@mac.com
