Carlson Elementary School welcomes new therapy dog

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Carlson Elementary School gained a new member of the sta for the spring semester, one with fur and four legs.

Elliott the therapy dog will be joining her handler, Jenny Pyler, every day at school to spend time with students and sta .

Pyler was awarded an Innovations Grant from the school district in September 2022 so she and her faithful companion could take weekly training sessions toward becoming a certi ed therapy dog.

Elliott earned her Canine Good Citizen certi cation and her erapy Dog Certi cation on Jan. 6, 2023.

Students at Carlson listened to an instructional session on how to interact with Elliott, and they learned some of the expectations for how the pup will exist in their elementary space.

Pyler explained in a letter to the parents that precautions are being taken to make sure this is a safe experience for everyone.

She noted that there will be a “dog only” space for Elliott to separate from kids who are allergic or fearful, there will be extra cleaning and vacuuming at the school, Elliott will be wiped down with anti-dander wipes to help allergies, and children will be instructed to wash their hands after handling the dog.

Elliott has already settled into her rst few days of school, and Pyler said she’s tting right in at Carlson.

“She’s been awesome and the kids seem to be really excited when they rst come in the door,” she said.

Heather Aberg is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the founder of Resilience 1220. She said that therapy animals can make a huge di erence in the lives of children.

“ ey really bring down anxiety, perhaps anxiety kids don’t even realize they feel,” Aberg said.

Aberg went on to explain that a therapy animal, like Elliott, can be a non-judgemental, easy friend to talk to.

“Dialoguing to an animal is so safe,” she said.

As a professional social worker, she also said there are various physical bene ts she’s seen working with kids and therapy animals, like children sitting with the animal and working to regulate breathing.

For parents looking to continue to support their children’s mental wellness outside of the classroom, Aberg suggested things like mindfulness apps, breathing exercises and using stories to identify emotions and coping mechanisms.

“Let’s take care of our emotional health the same way we take care of our physical health,” she said.

Some people have become so alarmed by what children might read in school or in libraries that they want books they don’t like removed — immediately. e targeted books include scenes of sexual awakening, gender identity, racism or violence.

But why aren’t these alarmists focusing on a book that’s chock-full of incest, rape and gore? I’m talking, of course, about the Bible.

In Genesis 19:30-36, Lot’s daughters get him drunk in a cave and his eldest daughter has incestuous sex with him. Judges 12 tells how an angry mob surrounds a Levite and his concubine, so he appeases them by handing over his companion. What happens next to the sacri ced woman is too gory for me to describe.

Yet the Bible hasn’t been a target of book banners; moreover, some zealots attack books they’ve never read. ey just have a list.

People on the warpath about “dangerous” books started urging libraries and schools to ban books they found objectionable in 2021. at discontent bubbled to the surface during COVID-caused school shutdowns and has now erupted into a culture war.

In Idaho, where I live, book banners have targeted the state’s three largest cities of Boise, Meridian and Nampa, all in the Treasure Valley in

Letter To The Editor

Smoke, mirrors