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Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

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Therapy Dogs

Dakoda and Champ
WLCSD PALs, Paws Assisting Learners

We are proud to be one of the first districts in the state of Michigan to have such an important program to benefit our students, staff and community as a whole!

Our Paws Assisting Learners Therapy Dog Program is designed to improve all aspects of the learning environment.

A black Labrador retriever being petted by multiple hands in a grassy outdoor setting.
Three brown Labrador Retriever dogs sitting together in front of a bright yellow wall, wearing service dog vests and harnesses.
A group of people wearing matching blue and white uniforms, including a service dog, standing in a bowling alley setting.
A young girl with long brown hair is sitting on the floor, reading a book, while a black dog sits next to her in a classroom-like setting.
Two friendly therapy dogs wearing %22Therapy Dog%22 vests are surrounded by people in a public setting, likely an airport or train station, based on the background.
A large group of people, including adults and children, are gathered together in what appears to be a school or office setting, with a service dog in the foreground.
Three dogs, two Labradors and one Labrador Retriever, sitting on a wooden floor in front of a purple backdrop with basketball hoops visible.
A group of female hockey players in red and black uniforms posing together on an ice rink, with a large indoor arena visible in the background.
A young man with glasses is smiling and standing next to a brown Labrador retriever dog in what appears to be an indoor setting with a wooden door frame visible in the background.
Two friendly Labrador Retriever dogs, one yellow and one chocolate brown, interacting with each other on a carpeted floor in what appears to be an indoor setting.

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools launched the therapy dog program, PALs (Paws Assisting Learners), in 2018 and currently has eight therapy dogs. What makes therapy animals so unique is that their role is not to serve their handlers, but to give attention and affection to all people.

Children who work with therapy dogs have increased reading fluency by an average of 21%

Benefits of Therapy Dogs in our Schools

  • Enhances relationships with peers and teachers by experiencing trust and unconditional love from a therapy dog. This helps students learn how to express their feelings and enter into more trusting relationships.

  • Increases in school attendance and provides positive moods and reading confidence in the classroom.

  • Encourages positive changes towards learning and increased motivation.

  • Decreases depression and anxiety behaviors resulting in improved learning outcomes.

  • Eases social isolation and helps children learn social skills.

About our Therapy Dogs

  • Our therapy dogs are fully funded by the community and cost approximately $9,000.

  • Contributors include families, PTSA groups, staff members, local organizations and businesses.

  • All of our therapy dogs are highly trained for 10-15 months.

  • What makes our program unique is that our dogs are owned by the individual schools, not an individual.

Meet Our Therapy Dogs

Brook

Brook

Meadowbrook Elementary

Gus

Gus

James R. Geisler Middle School

Wallee

Wallee

Walled Lake Elementary

Champ

Champ

Mary Helen Guest Elementary

Oakley

Oakley

Oakley Park Elementary

Willow

Willow

Keith Elementary

Dakoda

Dakoda

Walled Lake Western

Romeo

Romeo

Glengary Elementary

Wix sitting and looking at the camera

Wix

Wixom Elementary