You may have seen a range of terms or references used for dogs in schools, but what does it all mean?
If we look at international research, the most consistent definition for a dog who.... provides affection, comfort and support to all kinds of people alongside their handler.... is a Therapy Dog!
The same intentions exist for the many dogs incorporated into schools, to improve student wellbeing, coping and provide comfort and support under the facilitation of the handler, thus regardless of title, this intention aligns with the definition of a Therapy Dog.
Why is consistency in terminology important?
The language we use matters! How we reference the dogs we work alongside, indicate the 'interaction rules' of those dogs and we must be clear with our community to reduce confusion. Schools play an important role in this too!