The support that CAL school dogs offer is not just in the classroom but extends to helping the young people they work with in social situations including school trips.
The human animal bond helps create a unique bond between the child and dog which can help lower anxieties which can help children in situations they find stressful and overwhelming– during school trips our dogs can be used to help the children reduce their anxiety levels and regulate their emotions.
One teacher tells of how one of our CAL teams helped a child grown in social confidence
“Josh found going out of the school building a terrifying experience, he would become incredibly anxious, have panic attacks, he would scream, shout and even become violent to avoid any trips out – through working with Daisy over time he was able to visit the local shop and even buy some sweets, this is a huge breakthrough for Josh and we are hoping he will be doing more trips next term”
One of the things Josh found difficult about social situations was other member of the public getting too close to him, he described Daisy as his “plough” Daisy walked next to Josh and people understood that they shouldn’t get to close and quietly moved out of their way – Josh and panicky about aski
ng people to move and when he did start feeling his anxiety increase he would talk Daisy whilst gently stroking her.
This week is the last week of term with many CAL Dogs out and about visiting some great places, some of the children would not be able to go on the trips without these amazing dog.