School program brings pet therapy to at-risk teens

While pet therapy has long been used for the elderly and trauma victims, a new program is bringing the animals to at-risk teens.

A new program at Perspectives High School is bringing new meaning to the term “teacher’s pet.”

Once a week, teens at the school are being given the chance to work with therapy dogs: teaching them tricks and learning to communicate.

“It’s fun,” said student Maria Tzevelekos. “You focus on the dog a lot and you come off the classroom, it’s all chill.”

While pet therapy has been long-proven to provide benefits for seniors and those who have suffered from trauma, this program is bringing it to at-risk teens.

“These are at-risk teens. They’ve had difficulty in school for a variety of reasons,” said Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, owner of dog training school Dogue Shop. “We’re trying to find a different way of learning and so this is why bringing in animals helps in that way.”

The point is to learn how to problem solve and gain a feeling of accomplishment from a job well done.

“There’s a lot of abandonment issues at home, a lot of conflict and so when they arrive, the dog just likes them,” said Perspectives’ head teacher Barbara White. “They allow themselves to bond.”

“Me and the dog, we both have ADHD so I understand her,” said student Alessandro Lombardi. “Like, it’s frustrating sometimes, so it does help.”

The therapy program lasts 10 weeks and at the end of it, the students will put on a show for the entire school.

“You go home feeling like you’ve made a difference in the lives of the kids,” said dog owner Mark Werenchuk. “You go home relaxed. It’s good therapy.”