Students at Heritage Elementary School in Huntingdon were surprised in September to find a furry four-legged being in their art classroom.
“Peppers” is a Goldendoodle with special training who helps the art teacher, Ms. Amy, with her anxiety. Peppers also helps students.
“Peppers is a hypoallergenic dog, and her temperament is really great,” says the school principal, James Furey. “She has been really amazing at helping kids who are struggling with emotional regulation,” he explains. “Having Peppers is definitely a bonus for our school.”
Peppers is not judgemental. “There are kids that have some big emotions due to the different things that are happening in their lives. When they see Peppers, she can pick up on this through her training and she provides comfort. She accepts hugs and pets and just makes them feel better,” says Furey, who also gets some time in with Peppers now and then.
“When Ms. Amy lets her out, she will come and she will put her head on you and she’ll just beg you to pet her,” says one Grade 5 student. “It is really nice having a furry friend in the classroom,” he adds.
“She is very special,” says another student in Grade 3. “She calms me down whenever I get sad. Whenever I am not very focused on my work, I ask if I can go to Ms. Amy’s room to cool off for a second. Peppers snuggles with me for a minute, and I can go back,” she explains.
Mr. Furey says he did not hesitate to have Peppers in the school with Ms. Amy.
“I am able to bring Peppers to many places and that’s really special because she has special training,” says Ms. Amy. “Peppers loves coming to this school!” she exclaims, saying this was the first year she brought the dog to school. Before that, she was used to kids in kindergarten classes. “Having 230 kids, with ages ranging from 4 to 12 – she took it so well,” Ms. Amy says.
Peppers, who is three years old, has her own area in the classroom. “Her special training allows her to handle loud noises, people, different sounds, different environments, and to be good in stressful situations” says Miss Amy.
“As a teacher, I love seeing when somebody is going through something and the connection between that person and Peppers. It means the world,” she adds, saying Peppers has made her more patient as a teacher.
“Peppers has power. Sometimes I just tell them to take some time with Peppers. That’s all they need, and I love that.”
*This article was written by Heritage Elementary students as part of a partnership between The Gleaner and the New Frontiers School Board.
