Throop Elementary has a new four-legged staff member working to make the school a better place for students.

Throop teachers Marci Payton and Laura Pulliam brought a comfort dog, Teddy, into the classroom. Teddy is a Poodle and belongs to Pulliam.

Teddy has been trained to be a comfort and therapy dog for a select group of students at Throop in the Whole Child Classroom. Teddy comes to the building on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. While there, Teddy is a source of comfort to the students.

The Whole Child Classroom is designed to help students who have faced obstacles.

“The Whole Child Classroom is meant to teach lessons in Social Emotional Learning. There are five main components that we focus on. These components are Self-management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision Making, and Self Awareness,” said Payton.

Teddy’s life has not always been easy; he faced challenges before coming to Throop when he was just a puppy. He was found in a barn without
human interaction and rescued by Lacy Burger. Pulliam says that Burger was looking to re-home, so she adopted him as a comfort dog. Because of his history, he sometimes gets scared of large groups of people, but the students understand when to give him space.

“Teddy was the answer to our prayers. Teddy and I spent four months training for the AKC comfort dog certification with Aaron Terwiski in Jasper. Teddy passed the first attempt with flying colors!” said Pulliam.

Payton shared that the kids like to read to Teddy and do not feel judged.

“He teaches empathy,” said Payton.

Pulliam has some children in her classroom who are autistic and nonverbal, and one nonverbal student specifically will try to communicate with Teddy.

“It has been so rewarding as a teacher watching the children and staff bond with Teddy. I have personally seen him make such a difference here at Throop. He not only comforts the children, but he helps build confidence in reading, speech, and personally,” said Pulliam.

In addition to offering emotional support, Teddy teaches students life skills like responsibility and nurturing. Payton states that the children ensure he has water, alert Payton or Pulliam when he needs to go to the bathroom and brush Teddy. Teddy also has responsibilities for his students. He is trained to comfort the students when they need it most, even if he only needs to let the children pet him.

“The days Teddy comes in are when the classroom is more relaxed. The children behave better and get along with each other better when Teddy is present,” said Payton.

To bring Teddy to the classroom, Payton and Pulliam gave a presentation to the School Board and Superintendent Greg Walker to get Teddy where he is today.

“He was able to turn the mind of the naysayers,” said Payton. The two teachers have started training Payton’s dog, Coco, which has already undergone the same training Teddy underwent and could also be used as a student resource. Payton also says she hopes that the high school can one day use comfort and therapy dogs for students who need them.

This story was originally published on PHS Media News on December 19, 2023.