Amy Hoop with Rocky and SRO Tom Putnam with Bingo. (Photo by Aimee Carpenter)
Keep an eye out for Rocky and Bingo
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
It’s summer vacation for students in the Adams County Ohio Valley School District but there are two new students anxiously awaiting their debut, only this pair of brothers may not resemble the normal student population. Known as “Rocky” and Bingo”, these new additions are of the four-legged furry kind, a pair of cute and friendly Bernedoodles who will join the staff and students at West Union and North Adams Elementary schools as therapy dogs.
What is a therapy dog? Therapy dogs are dogs who go with their owners to volunteer in settings such as schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. From working with a child who is learning to read to visiting a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of other people.
Peebles Elementary has had a therapy dog, “Buckeye” for a year under the auspices of Principal Josh Michael and now through the combined efforts of SRO Tom Putnam and the CTC’s Amy Hoop, Rocky and Bingo will become a part of the everyday life at the district’s other two elementary schools.
According to Putnam, he and Hoop will be the dog’s handlers and the dogs actually live in their homes and will travel to school with them. “the idea of the therapy dog is so exciting and will be such a valuable tool for the staffs at West Union and North Adams,” says Putnam. “The dogs can be used in so many different situations, from a class with special needs to a reading class, to a one-on-one situation with a student who just might need something to calm down a tough situation.”
“I can bring the dog to a student that may be having a difficult day and once the dog is there, I can immediately see the child’s heart rate lower and as they pet the dog and give him a treat, things begin to seem a whole lot better.”
Putnam, who will handle Bingo at North Adams Elementary, also explained that bringing the dogs into the schools was a process, beginning with just one day a week to get them acclimated to that school’s surroundings, then gradually increasing to an eventual five days a week.
“The dogs have to become familiar with and comfortable with their surroundings,” Putnam explained. “They will even have their own kennels in the building because even therapy dogs need a break occassionally.”
“Another big plus is that the community has supported this program with various local businesses stepping up to donate money for the care of the dogs.”
Amy Hoop is the Early Childhood Education teacher at the Career and Technical Center and she will be Rocky’s handler along with the involvement of the students in her classes, who spend the majority of their time in the West Union schools.
“As the Early Childhood Education program instructor, I am very excited for the addition of the therapy dogs into our program,” said Hoop. “This will offer a wonderful new way for students in my program to learn how to address the social and emotional needs of our students at the elementary level. Research shows that therapy dogs improve emotional regulation, reduce stress and anxiety and improve overall confidence. We are so blessed with support from our director, Jennifer Grimes, and the elementary administration of Ben King, Amanda Blanton, Kyle Brewer and Allen Seitz, who have supported us each step of the way as we developed this program.”
“Myself, along with the help of my family, are the handlers for Rocky. Our plan for Rocky is to work at both the CTC and at WUES on a daily basis. We will be visiting classrooms, reading with students and helping to de-escalate students who are experiencing behavior issues. It may come as a surprise to many but the research shows that therapy dogs improve overall reading scores and attendance of students. I cannot wait to see the positive impacts that Rocky and Bingo have on our elementary students.”
When the Defender met Rocky and Bingo last Friday, King and Blanton, principal and assistant principal at West Union Elementary were on hand and shared their enthusiasm for their new “student” as Rocky will be eventually roaming the halls of their building. Both King and Blanton emphasized how much research has shown that therapy dogs are valuable, unconditional in their affection and able to reduce stress and anxiety and increase a student’s self-esteem.
“I am very excited about the dogs being in our building,” said Blanton. “I think they are going to benefit our kids in so many ways. We can’t wait to implement ‘Reading With Rocky’, not only as a reward for our students doing well, but also as an incentive and confidence booster for students. We also believe the dogs will provide consistency for students in so many ways. They are great stress relievers, anxiety reducers, attendance incentives, just one non-judgmental buddy.”
The pair also explained that the dogs had been exposed to the school setting at West Union at the school’s recent Discovery Camp.
Time is being spent this summer giving the dogs tours of the respective buildings, preparing them for the 2023-24 school year. The public will be able to meet these two furry friends (who were born in March) as they will be in attendance at the district’s Back to School Night on Wednesday, August 16.
