Students and staff at 麻豆视频 Flinders Anglican College in Buderim are delighted to听welcome the first animal onto the College staff team: meet Cooper, the school dog!
Dogs trained for school campus environments are often called 鈥榤iracle workers鈥� because of听their calming and joyful effect on students and teachers when integrated into school life.
Principal Stuart Meade said the College had been keen for some time to invite a dog onto听campus for its 1,300 students from Prep to Year 12.
鈥淧eople who have dogs as pets will attest that they feel happier and calmer around their听pets and learn a lot from caring for and being around such a loyal animal,鈥� Stuart said.
鈥淭here is also a great deal of anecdotal and evidence-based research to suggest that dogs听have a positive effect in a school environment,鈥� he said.
鈥淲ellbeing is an important focus at Flinders and a school dog like Cooper who enjoys a pat听and makes a great reading buddy is sure to spark smiles for students and staff.鈥�
Flinders鈥� College Counsellor, Dr Alec Hamilton and his family own Cooper, a Groodle, and听are responsible for his training and care.
鈥淐ooper is still a puppy so we are yet to see what his skills will be but he is a very calm听puppy and loves being with people,鈥� Dr Alec said.
鈥淪o far, students in the Primary School have been wonderfully gentle with Cooper and听respectful of his training protocol as it鈥檚 a hands-off approach while he gets used to the听noise and excitement that happens in the school environment,鈥� he said.
鈥淥nce he is fully trained, Cooper may help students have fun, chat and play by sitting with听them calmly while they read or being with them at lunchtime.
鈥淥ne of the biggest benefits we see from having a dog at school is that they can enhance听relationships, helping us all gain from the unconditional love a dog can bring.
鈥淪tudents can also learn about empathy, self-regulation, and escalated and de-escalated听types of body energy from being near a gentle, calm dog like Cooper.鈥�
Perhaps the most difficult skill for Cooper to learn in a school environment is that he cannot听eat human food and so he must walk away from food scraps he may find on the ground听and he also has to ignore the balls being played with at lunchtime - a true test of discipline听for any pup!
