St. Alphonsus Catholic School gets a second therapy dog

St. Alphonsus Catholic School thinks there’s enough room in their halls for two furry friends.

St. Alphonsus Catholic School is home to students PreK-1 all the way up to sixth grade, but their campus was not complete until they adopted two, four-legged friends. Amy Nimmo is the admissions director at St. Alphonsus, and she has given five rescue pups a home.
One of her rescues, Maybel, has always been intuitive and compassionate, and it was this time last year that she wanted her to become a therapy dog.

“I wanted her to be a therapy dog and then I thought about bringing her to school and how awesome it would be for the kids to benefit from that, and it’s been great because when they’re upset, she literally goes to them, and she just knows exactly who to go to, who to sit by, what to do, and it’s been a really good experience,” said Nimmo.

The experience has been so good that one dog roaming the halls was not enough. Maybel’s sister, Blanche, just completed her therapy training, and she is officially the new furry friend on the block.

“She’s doing pretty good,” Nimmo said. “She’s still a little bit nervous learning what to do, but I think she’s going to be great once she gets comfortable and she’s really going to be great for the kids who have more energy.”

Of course, there is nothing bad about still being a puppy, and she is even learning some new tricks. Her favorite trick is going down the slide at the playground, which she was taught to do by one of the 5th grade students. When it comes to play time, or a more quiet setting, both dogs know exactly what to do when a student is in need of their presence.

“They just feel really comfortable with her and they’ll just ask if they can just come and sit with her, and you can just see them relax, and they love reading to her,” Nimmo said. “I think it’s a lot less stressful than maybe reading in front of the class to read to a dog who’s accepting of everyone and not judgmental.”

Both Maybel and Blanche will be alternating their services at St. Alphonsus every other week, for three days a week. 

It is evident that these two pups make a huge difference at St. Alphonsus Catholic School.