This program focuses on using therapy dogs to support academic development, particularly in reading and literacy. Therapy dogs are integrated into reading sessions where children practice their skills in a relaxed, non-judgmental environment, helping to reduce anxiety and increase focus. Our reading programs are carefully aligned with school curricula and designed to achieve specific academic goals, such as improving fluency and comprehension. For example, by working with therapy dogs, 80% of students in our program have demonstrated a 15% or more improvement in reading proficiency within a school year.

Animal-Assisted Counseling (AAC)- In this program, therapy dogs are used to support emotional and social development in both individual and group counseling sessions. Our therapy dogs help create a safe space for children to explore their feelings, build coping strategies, and practice emotional regulation. We focus on issues such as anxiety, peer conflict, and emotional outbursts. Through targeted interventions, we’ve seen a 90% improvement in emotional regulation among participating children, allowing them to engage more positively with their peers and educators

This program is focused on reducing stress and promoting positive social interactions through casual, structured visits with therapy dogs. Children can participate in check-ins, emotional regulation activities, or simply enjoy spending time with the dogs to boost their mood and reduce anxiety. These activities take place in schools and community centers, providing a break for children who may be struggling with emotional distress or stress in their academic environment. With a focus on emotional well-being, we’ve seen improvements in student engagement.

In these programs the therapy dog team works alongside related service providers. During occupational and physical therapy sessions the handlers and providers collaborate to help students build fine motor, gross motor, visual motor, visual perceptual, and daily living skills. The inclusion of therapy dogs in speech therapy allows students to teach a skill or help the dog practice a newly learned skill, giving them conversational engagement experience and small group dialogue exposure. As language skills are developed through these interactions, so is the confidence to socialize with others outside of a session.