For many students at Princeton Day School, a typical school day is filled with deadlines, tests, and classes. Stress can feel unavoidable under these circumstances. However, for the past two years, the Mental Health Awareness Club has taken the initiative to bring in trained therapy dogs to our campus. From a Golden Retriever leaning into a student’s hand, to a German Shepherd sitting calmly for students to wrap their arms around, their impact is meaningful by reducing stress levels. These moments of comfort relieve more pressure than people may expect.
Therapy dogs are not just pets, but rather they specialize in comforting people and are trained to work in school environments. Their visits are carefully planned months in advance. The Mental Health Awareness Club intentionally schedules therapy dog visits during the most stressful parts of the semester. Club advisor Jennifer Peck-Nolte mentioned, “We usually choose days during stressful times, towards the end of the semester. It is open for everybody to participate as everyone is free around this time.” Furthermore, co-head Luke Nolte noted, “We invite therapy dogs over because kids just love dogs. We go to a school, at times difficult and stressful. The Mental Health Awareness Club wants to provide areas and times where you don’t have to be super burned by your classes.”
Most importantly, inviting therapy dogs does not cost the school anything! Members of our PDS community and beyond volunteer their time to bring their dogs over, including Ellie, Fluffernutter, Raven, Domino and Zella. Ms. Peck-Nolte helps coordinate the visits, ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
The Mental Health Awareness Club strongly encourages students to utilize their time with therapy dogs. The physical interaction between students and therapy dogs calms the nervous system and reduces stress levels. Nolte shared, “Dogs are totally docile and friendly. Once you pet them, they will leave you a kiss and a hug. When we have them in the arts atrium, teachers and faculty come, it is simply a stress reliever.”
Nolte encourages other schools to invite therapy dogs. He noted, “It does not cost much for institutions like PDS and other schools. It is a benefit for the community as students can gather and pet dogs. By lowering stress levels, it improves everybody’s mental health and their ability to perform in the classroom.”
The PDS community should feel proud to have invested into this initiative. It has truly been a true gift for the whole community, not just students but also teachers and faculty members.
