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Facility dogs are becoming an increasingly popular addition to school staff across the Kansas City area. They provide emotional support and comfort to students throughout the entire school day.
The Center School District has embraced this trend by placing facility dogs in every school in the district. At Red Bridge Elementary, their dog, Velcro, has become a beloved member of the team.
"The great thing about Velcro is that he really, truly loves people, and he loves kids," said Monica Pickett, Red Bridge Elementary principal.
Unlike therapy dogs that are trained for one-on-one interactions, facility dogs like Velcro are specifically trained to support an entire school community from the moment students walk through the doors until they leave.
"I get here about an hour before kids show up, and he's like, all right, where's the kids? Let's go," Pickett said.
Velcro received his training from Rescues for Education, a nonprofit organization that adopts dogs from shelters and trains them specifically for school environments. Zachary Wiemers, the organization's executive director and head trainer, puts the dogs through intense training to ensure they can handle any situation that might arise in a school setting.
"I stress the dog out to a point where I know that no matter what happens, I know how the dog's going to respond," Wiemers said.
According to Wiemers, the “worst” thing that Velcro has ever done was lick a student's face.
“The kid got their face too close, and he was like, oh, I'm taking advantage. Gave him a lick, and the kid went and went back in for a second,” said Wiemers.
Facility dogs can provide support that teachers can’t.
"There's a lot of boundaries between students and everything else in the school," Wiemers said. “Velcro is able to cross that boundary. Velcro is able to, you know, interact with the kid. The kid can hug Velcro, the kid can pet Velcro.”
One specific technique Velcro uses is pressure therapy.
"The dog provides what this is called pressure therapy, and it kind of puts a little bit of weight on your lap. Weight on your lap, and it helps you, kind of helps you re-stabilize," Wiemers said.
The Center School District funded Velcro's addition to Red Bridge Elementary through the school's activity fund. Each school in the district identifies specific needs they want their facility dog to address, and Rescues for Education works to place dogs based on individual school communities.
"I pick dogs because their best life is in a school," Wiemers said. “This is best for Velcro; this is best for the school.”
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