Taking a Therapy Animal to School: Here’s What You May Be Missing
You’ve heard wonderful things about therapy dogs in classrooms and you’re inspired. Maybe you’re already bringing your own dog to work and watching the positive impact unfold. But here’s the truth: good intentions alone aren’t enough.
Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) in schools can be deeply rewarding, but to truly be safe, sustainable, and impactful for your students, your colleagues, and your animal, there are critical pieces many overlook.
You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
As a “pet person”, it may seem simple to share your animal with others. But in a school, there’s a lot to consider.
School Policies
Does your school or your district have specific policies in place for therapy animals? Things like signed permission slips, allergy protocols, incident response plans, animal vaccination records, and designated areas for pets to take a break.
If your school has welcomed therapy animals before, maybe this is already documented. If so, check that the policies consider the best interests of both the students and the therapy animal, and use clear, action-oriented language. If this will be the first time the school brings in therapy animals, work with your administration to write that policy down to fill in any gaps. This may be the least glamorous part of starting a therapy animal program, but a well-formed policy not only protects your school, it also protects you, your animal, and your students.
Liability Insurance
Are you covered if a student is injured? What if your animal is injured? Be sure you understand what coverage the school has — professional liability insurance doesn’t always include your therapy animal. You may need to give your school documentation to qualify for coverage. Your certification as an Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS), or proof of a relevant team evaluation often shows that you’re eligible.
As an employee, you may have professional liability insurance through your school. But check what coverage exists for different scenarios, including physical or emotional/psychological injury to a student. Also, ask what happens if your animal is injured while on the job. Some professionals decide to carry supplemental insurance. AAAIP offers a policy through an insurance provider.
Standards
Good intentions don’t replace informed preparation for therapy animal work. Peer reviewed research supports both the benefits of therapy animals and the standards of practice. The Standards of Practice for AAI shows the minimum qualification for therapy animals and handlers to promote safety and minimize risk for both the people and animals involved.
It Starts with You: Prevent Problems Before They Begin
The main cause of issues with therapy animals in schools is usually the human, not the animal. To be successful, you as the handler need to be capable of managing the dynamic school environment. You could have the best pet in the world, but you’ll quickly see that your animal’s success and safety have a lot to do with how you manage their interactions and environment. The single biggest job you have is to advocate for your animal.
Build a Strong Relationship
Therapy animals and their handlers all have one thing in common: a deep, trusting relationship with two-way communication. One way to achieve this is to work on learning something together. This might be a basic obedience class, or maybe you decide to try agility or scent work together. Trying something new and overcoming challenges together can really enhance your relationship with your pet.
Canine Body Language
Dogs are constantly communicating with us. Sometimes that’s easy to see – like tail wagging or barking. Many times, it’s far more subtle. A tense jaw, wide eyes, or a stiff tail may not be as easy to spot — and are even harder to detect in a busy classroom. If you saw any of these cues, can you identify the early signs of stress? Overstimulation? Fatigue? If not, you may be creating a situation where your dog has to communicate more clearly – like with a growl.
Be your Animal’s Advocate
Once you can read your animal’s body language well, you’re responsible for acting on that information. This may mean allowing your dog to leave an interaction, take a step back from a specific type of activity or, planning for their retirement. Honoring your animal’s choice to participate – or not – can feel difficult, but it’s essential. You’re their voice, and to maintain your trusting relationship, their comfort should come first.
Become a Logistics Expert
Have you planned for fire drills, loud assemblies, or substitute staff who aren’t comfortable with dogs? What if your animal needs a break mid-lesson? Proactive planning, particularly in schools, is critical. Avoid problems by thinking through the unique logistics of your setting before challenging situations present themselves. This helps your program run smoothly — and protects everyone involved.
Maximize the Benefits for Your Students (and Yourself)
Having your dog present in your classroom or your office is nice. But carefully planning how you will integrate the therapy animal is the best way to make an impact.
Have a Plan
If you’re a teacher, you know all about lesson plans. Add an AAI section to your curriculum planning page. Maybe it’s reading to the dog. Measuring their heartbeat during PE. Using their daily steps for a math exercise. Writing prompts from the dog’s perspective. There are countless ways to align AAI with academic goals and standards. By building AAI into your lesson plans, you can clearly capture how a therapy animal improves students’ overall experience.
Embrace Individualized Experiences
Just like you do for any subject, you can address individual student needs when you work with a therapy animal. Not everyone needs to interact with the animal in the same way. Some students may want to help walk and feed the dog. Others may simply want to observe. In each case, students will benefit.
Collect Data
Finally, be sure to track the impact of having a therapy animal present. From test scores or attendance, to quick student surveys after lessons involving the animal, be sure you’re collecting data. Measuring your program’s effectiveness will help you grow it and justify its value to administrators for long-term success.
Set Yourself for Long-Term Success
If your school or district doesn’t have a clear path for incorporating therapy animals, now is your chance to lead. AAAIP provides the structure and validation you need to build a program that’s ethical, effective, and respected.
Get Educated
Whether you’re looking to bring your therapy dog into your school or grow your existing program, we have all the tools you need to do it safely and ethically. Our Tools for Schools Bundle offers three self-paced courses to give you the skills, confidence, and support you need to do so. From getting administrative buy-in to managing visits when your dog stays home, this bundle of courses covers it all. This course bundle includes three courses: Getting Started in AAI, Training and Communication in AAI, and The Case for Animal Related Engagement (ARE). Check out our Tools for Schools Bundle to learn more.
Whether you’re pioneering AAI in your district or joining an existing effort, AAAIP’s national community of educators, counselors, and animal-assisted professionals is here to support you.
Let’s build something meaningful together. For your students, your school, and your animal.