By Hannah Fruin (AGECS Fellow 2022)
Our Therapy Dog Program at Gowrie Victoria Broadmeadows Valley was supported by the AGECS Fellowship Grant which funded the initial training and assessment with Lead the Way Institute. This resulted in my dog Gus and I achieving provisional ‘Learner’ certification in October 2022 and later, after further training and assessment, full certification in April 2023. Gus and I are now a fully certified Visiting Therapy Dog and Handler Team and we have been able to roll out a Therapy Dog Program at our service in Broadmeadows.
The program so far has involved children being invited to go for walks in the local community with Gus, talking about road safety along the way and how we keep ourselves safe when we’re out and about. The clear expectations we have set for the children about how we need to behave around Gus to keep him and ourselves safe, have supported children to regulate themselves, as they understand that we need to be calm and gentle around Gus to make sure he is feeling happy when he is with us at Kinder. For children who need extra support to regulate their emotions, this has been invaluable. Recently, Gus has been accompanying children to go out and have a look at the excavators and bulldozers which have been busy building us a new car park at the front of our service. Children engaging with Gus can also read books with him, sharing their favourite stories, and brush him, providing an engaging sensory moment for children as they feel his soft coat and see the lines the brush makes in his fur.
The program has shown many benefits to children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging. Some of our children need lots of support to transition into the service, particularly if their family is being supported by a wraparound service such as domestic violence support or child protection, and having Gus there to greet children as they arrive and walk to their rooms with them means that they can begin their day with us feeling much calmer. Many of the children who have enjoyed spending time with Gus often ask on the days he does not attend when they will see him next, with a real sense of having something to look forward to. We have created a sign-in display for Gus at the entrance to our service so that children can see on arrival if Gus is at Kinder today or if he is resting at home, similar to the children’s own photo signin/out displays in their rooms.
For some children, it’s the simple joy found in asking Gus to ‘sit’, shaking his paw as he offers it, before giving him a treat – a reciprocal, respectful relationship, and the positive feeling of being heard, listened to, and valued by a four-legged friend. For some of the children in our community, the positive relationship they have with Gus provides some consistency and reliability in their, at times, uncertain lives.
We are excited to see how Gus can support children’s transition to school process later in the year. For children who need that extra emotional support during orientation and transition visits to their new school, Gus can be available to greet children outside as they arrive and walk with them to the entrance, providing children and families with a friendly familiar face in a new and uncertain environment.
As an Excellent rated service, we often have visitors from across the early childhood sector who come for tours of the centre which I lead, enabling me to share the benefits of our Therapy Dog Program and how I went about implementing it. Families have been very supportive of the program, and I have made sure to reassure anyone who is unsure around dogs that they will never be encouraged to interact with Gus if they do not want to.
Soon we are hoping to be able to purchase a GoPro camera, along with a dog harness to attach the camera safely to Gus, so that we can capture video footage from the perspective of the children and of Gus during interactions. I hope that this will enable me to create some short films which highlight the benefits of the program for children, celebrating children’s voice and perspectives. These films can be shared with families in our community, posted to Gowrie Victoria’s largely followed social media channels, as well as at some of the many network meetings I attend within Hume and with the Department of Education. Following the success of our Therapy Dog Program, one of the teachers at the neighbouring primary school has been inspired to look into the possibility of beginning the training with his puppy with the hopes of being able to implement a Therapy Dog Program in the school in the future.
It has recently been confirmed that our service will be extended to include two additional Kinder rooms, meaning that from 2025 even more children in our Broadmeadows community will be able to benefit from the support of Gus and our Therapy Dog Program. We are truly grateful for AGECS for enabling me to begin the lengthy but invaluable process of engaging in training with Gus through Lead the Way Institute to achieve our full certification. Training is ongoing and we attend fortnightly evening sessions to work towards further levels of certification, but without the Fellowship Grant from AGECS, I would not have been able to take the first steps towards implementing such an invaluable program for supporting the wellbeing of children in our community.
Here are some quotes from children who work with Gus and their families:
“We were going on a walk. He feels good. He feels happy.” 4 years old
“Gus likes to eat dog food. Gus can drink water because its healthy for dogs. I’d like to take him camping, go swimming him, be in a tent, play with him, take care of him, I’ll give him water.” 4 years old.
“Gus is very gentle. I like going for a walk with Gus and giving him a treat.” 3 years old.
“My children have always wanted a dog, and it has been great for them to see that a dog needs to be taken care of and that they have needs just like humans. Gus has inspired so much conversation in our home.” Tash, parent
“Both my girls have had the opportunity to be a part of Gus’s journey and learning, and it has made them become more confident with animals, as well as listening to instructions. One of my girls felt confident with Gus to express her emotions and her worries.” Sarah, parent.
This article was originally published in AUDAX Autumn 2024.