Therapy Dog Works His First Day Inside High School

Therapy Dog Works His First Day Inside High School
Rudy and student Emily Edwards 2

POCOMOKE CITY – Pocomoke High School’s newest staff member greeted students with a wagging tail and a kind expression as he roamed the blue and gold halls this week.

Monday marked the first official day of school for Rudy, a 7-year-old golden retriever now acting as a therapy dog at Pocomoke High School (PHS).

“The kids love him,” Principal Annette Wallace said. “Everybody’s always excited to see Rudy.”

After hearing of a successful therapy dog program at a New Jersey school, Wallace jumped on the idea. She thought a friendly canine would be a great addition to PHS, where the vast majority of students — 70 percent — comes from households of poverty in southern Worcester County.

“So much of what we have to do before we do any academic work has to be relationship based,” Wallace said. “Our kids come to us with a lot of emotional baggage.”

She and her teachers spent weeks researching the concept, deciding they’d adopt a puppy. They found community members willing to buy dog food and even a local veterinarian able to donate health care services. When plans to adopt the puppy they had in mind fell through at the last moment, Wallace and her fellow educators were disappointed to say the least.

It was then Jessi Bova, a guidance counselor at PHS, brought up the fact that her golden retriever Rudy was a certified therapy dog. She’d had him evaluated by Pets on Wheels when she’d worked at an area elementary school so students could read to him.

“I knew he was good with people,” Bova said.

Though he’d spent the past several months sleeping the day away while she was at school, Bova offered to try bringing him to PHS. A few test visits went well. Rudy proved immensely popular with students, several of whom asked if he could walk them to class. He even helped one student complete an exam.

“She has a lot of anxiety,” Wallace said. “She asked if Rudy could sit with her.”

Guidance counselor Jess Bova is pictured with Pocomoke High therapy dog Rudy.

Guidance counselor Jess Bova is pictured with Pocomoke High therapy dog Rudy.

She said many Pocomoke students dealt with anxiety issues and are calmed by their interactions with Rudy.

“Jessi had a student in here last week who just petted Rudy and cried,” Wallace said. “Sometimes you just need that. Rudy’s like a part of our family. For a lot of our kids coming to school is their most normal part of life. Rudy just adds to that.”

Because it’s just his first week, Rudy doesn’t have a set schedule at PHS yet. Bova says he’ll walk the halls with her and make daily visits to students in in-school suspension. She says time with Rudy may be offered as an incentive to some students.

“We’re going to figure out where the need’s the greatest,” Bova said.

Emily Edwards, a senior at PHS, says in just a few days she’s seen what a calming presence Rudy can be.

“He definitely does help the students cope,” she said. “Seeing a dog, it brings life to the school.”

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.