Frankie, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever, sits with teachers Mary Arp and Ken Iser at a Brookfield Board of Education meeting.
The death of Brookfield High School student Hunter Haines in May 2018 was a big blow to the school community that is still being felt today.
The experience opened the eyes of school officials that there are more things they can be doing to try to reach students in ways that go beyond lessons and grades.
Enter Frankie, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever and therapy dog who will be at the school on a limited basis to work with students in many kinds of scenarios.
Brookfield High School teacher Ken Iser, Frankie’s human, said he saw how a dog can affect the attitudes of students when Liberty schools sent a therapy dog named Paws to Brookfield after Hunter died.
“She (Paws) came over and made a world of difference for our students when that happened,” Brookfield school Supt. Toby Gibson told the school board Sept. 16. “They were distracted with the dog. It was therapeutic, I think, to be around something that wanted to pay attention to them, get their mind off the reasons that they were all upset about.”
Frankie underwent six weeks of obedience training, three weeks of advanced obedience training and six weeks of therapy-dog training at Canine Campus in Hubbard, and has spent time at nursing homes, daycare centers, hospitals and preschools, Iser said.
Therapy dogs can be used to help kids with focus, self-esteem, and memory, Iser said. Their presence relieves anxiety, lowers blood pressure, and they form instant, nonjudgmental attachments, he said.
“I would have him as emotional support for, especially, the little ones that are having a tough time,” Iser said. “You know how kids are – sometimes they just have a bad day. It makes those kids at ease; it calms them down and makes the kid happy to be here. It gives the kid something to look forward to.”
Guidance counselors can take Frankie when he is needed, and Frankie could be scheduled for reading programs and special activities.
Frankie would not be in school every day as all the interaction tires him out, and he would not roam free so as not to scare kids who are not accustomed to dogs, Iser said.
Franklie has roamed freely on Mondays, when no students are at the school, Iser said
“For as much as he is great with kids, he is equally impressive with adults, on Mondays, with staff,” Gibson said. “Just to see adults react to him here, to see a group of teachers who are stressed and Frank comes down the hallway, it’s instantly we turn into kids again and it disappears.”
The school board approved a therapy dog policy on Sept. 21.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for those people that don’t have dogs or an animal in the home,” said board member Sarah Kurpe. “I love the aspect, mental health, caring for an animal, all those benefits we teach young children.
“In a school environment,” she continued, “I think there is a lot of positive that can come out of that, particularly the stress that can be at home. This could look quite different than a mom or a teacher or a friend.”
