West Washington Community Schools is excited to introduce Maverick, our therapy dog in-training, who is set to make a positive impact on our school community. Maverick, along with SRO Aaron Dennis, has been hard at work training under the guidance of Little Black Dog Training Services. Maverick is well on his way in his training in passing the Canine Good Citizen Exam.
"Maverick recently trained for and passed the Canine Good Citizen exam. Maverick passing his first exam will be one of many of Maverick's accomplishments. Maverick and I are currently training for his AKC Community Canine and Novice Trick Dog title, building on the foundation of Maverick becoming a Therapy Dog," explained SRO Dennis.
The journey towards Maverick's official certification as a therapy dog continues, with plans in place for him to undertake the AKC Therapy Dog title exam after his first birthday on September 21, 2023. We are eagerly anticipating the addition to Maverick on the West Washington Staff Roster, recognizing the invaluable role he will play in our school community. "Maverick will be instrumental in our school. He will enjoy one-on-one reading time with students, providing emotional support and a non-critical audience to help bolster their confidence and skills," shared SRO Dennis.
Reflecting on the impact therapy dogs have, West Washington Mental Health Counselor, Maria Burks, shares, "Therapy dogs are grief eaters and no words are necessary, absolutely fantastic for kids!"
There is excitement throughout the entire school counseling office, as High School Counselor Stacey Nance expresses, “The school counseling office could not be more excited about the addition of Maverick to our school community! We have used the services of a guest therapy dog in the past and the reaction from students and staff was overwhelmingly positive. Maverick has the perfect personality for this type of work! He is calm, loves people, and is eager to learn. SRO Dennis and Maverick have both put in many hours of training to get ready for this important job. Therapy dogs are shown to benefit the overall well-being of the people around them by helping to reduce stress levels and promote positive social behaviors. Maverick will not only help to continue to build positive relationships between students and our SROs, but he will provide much needed comfort to students who are experiencing anxiety, stress, or other big emotions. Schools with therapy dogs have shown many benefits for their students including an increase of positive learning attitudes, reduction of aggressive behaviors, increased self confidence, and improvement of impulse control. We are grateful to SRO Dennis for taking on this exciting project. We cannot wait to welcome Maverick to our building.”
Maverick brings a new wave of kindness and understanding to West Washington School. As he starts his job as a therapy dog, Maverick represents caring and friendship for both students and staff.
