Therapy Dogs At Pryor Schools Receive National Recognition

Workers at Pryor Public Schools are in the spotlight this week at a national conference.

While they might not be able to give a speech—the district’s therapy dogs are sure to win the hearts of other teachers learning about new ways to help their students.

Chip and Rosie are two of seven dogs that serve as therapy animals in the Pryor School District.

They are attending the conference with Leslie Burnett, Director of Special Services at Pryor Schools, to show how they support students.

"Knowing that our kids have this tool, this resource to be able to calm down and get back to their education so they can learn and not be able to have the fears and the angers and the anxieties that they do in class is huge,” Burnett said.

Burnett and the other handlers will bring the dogs to the schools in the district every day.

Chip, Rosie, and the other dogs have helped many kids experiencing mental health crises.

"They know those dogs and have created a relationship,” Burnett said. “So, if they bring a dog into the classroom during a crisis or we ask a child if they would like to have one of the dogs come in to settle down, typically their answer is yes, and then we lower the time of keeping the child out of the classroom to a few minutes.

She's hoping the presentation at the conference will inspire other public schools to integrate dogs into their school settings.

"The beauty about having a dog in the district is they are not judgmental. They don't have any preconceived notions,” Burnett said. “They have no care whether you are wrong, right, mad, or sad. They just want you to hang out with them and love on them, and that's what our people find very comforting."

They will return home on Thursday.

If you have Something Good you would like to share, email us at Somethinggoodnewson6@griffin.news