Recently, De Soto High School welcomed a new furry member to the staff. Goose, English teacher Kerri Lauxman’s dog, is a certified therapy dog. DHS welcomed him into the school the last few months of the 2023-2024 school year and the students have loved having him around.
The first question everybody probably wants to ask is: what exactly is a therapy dog? The American Animal Hospital Association states that “A therapy dog promotes improvement in human physical, social, emotional, or cognitive function,”
Therapy dogs bring a multitude of benefits to their given environment. The Alliance of Therapy Dogs has found that the benefits are glaringly obvious in a classroom environment by, “improving attendance, problem-solving abilities, and improved calmness.”
Mrs. Lauxman believes that therapy dogs are essential to her classroom environment. She also knows that her therapy dog helps students succeed in the classroom.
“There is a lot of science behind the benefits of therapy dogs. Being in the presence of a loving animal reduces anxiety and blood pressure and stress and boosts serotonin and those happiness chemicals in our brain,” Lauxman said.
Principal Sam Ruff’s experience with therapy dogs has helped him embrace therapy dogs within DHS.
“So, maybe two years ago I had my dog, Indy, get trained to be a therapy dog. My wife and I used Indy through a program in Lawrence, where she went different places to provide an opportunity for someone to pet a dog,” Ruff said.
The benefits of therapy dogs are overwhelmingly obvious, not only through studies but also within the classroom. Senior Jerry Gutierrez is one of Mrs. Lauxman’s seminar students and has observed the benefits Goose provides firsthand.
“I feel like he brought in more of a positivity, and when people see him and they walk in they feel different because there are not any other classes here at De Soto that have a dog in them,” Gutierrez said. “I feel like having that is something that is different and brings more joy in this classroom.”
Not only has Gutierrez observed the benefits, but Mrs. Lauxman has noticed a change in her students since the introduction of her furry family member.
“I think they have embraced kindness and compassion and just some levity. Having an animal in the room just makes the learning environment just more fun,” Lauxman said. “You don’t have to take everything so seriously. He just reminds us of what really matters.”
The introduction of Goose into the DHS community has been fiercely positive. However, there have been a few concerns regarding his introduction.
“We did have to think through what happens if you have a student that is allergic. Nobody has really complained about it but there is some concern that we might have a student that might be allergic to pet hair, and so we always have to think through that. So far we have been lucky,” Ruff said.
However, overall Goose has been a wonderful addition to the environment of DHS and has adjusted wonderfully to his new working life.
“I love his personality, that he is just always looking to have fun. He loves everybody here and he loves meeting new people and just being a part of the workday,” Lauxman said.
