Dogs as Full-Time Staff? Learn How Cali, Cleo, and Savannah Are Helping Children

Photo credit: John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Calais School in Whippany, New Jersey, is using service dogs to help their students learn to read. They employ two full-time service dogs that work seven hours a day, five days a week. These dogs Cali (Rhodesian Ridgeback) and Cleo (Beagle) need time off just like any other staff member and this is where Savannah (Rhodesian Ridgeback) comes in to help. "Some schools with a special-needs population have service dogs that visit and work with the students as a once-in-a-while activity," David Leitner, Executive Director of The Calais School, told The New York Times' Well blog.

It is not easy to train a service dog, training lasts for over a year. Cali, Cleo, and Savannah have been trained to remain calm around children, stay quiet, not take food from anyone, and to allow students to approach them (the dogs are not permitted to approach students). All three of the dogs employed by Calais School were trained by Merlin’s Kids, a nonprofit organization that trains service dogs for special needs children.

The dogs help students start their school on a high note. "What happens in the first few minutes of the school day can set the tone for the rest of the day. As soon as they get off the bus, they see Savannah or Cali waiting to greet them", says Leitner. The dogs also provide friendship and support without judgement to the students. Students report feeling more comfortable when reading to the dogs as they know the dogs will not judge them should the student make a mistake.

Cali and Savannah have additional responsibilities at the school as they are both trained cortisol detection dogs. Cali was the first cortisol detection dog on staff at a school in the United States. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and the dogs can identify a stressed student before a situation escalates. Cali and Savannah can help children in the entire school as they are able to detect increased cortisol levels in a student at the opposite end of the school or even on a different floor.

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