This page is dedicated to information about our wellbeing dog, Arthur, who will be joining our community during term 3, 2025.
Dear families,
We are excited to announce that CRC St Albans is about to launch the Dogs Connect program in our school. This is a whole school wellbeing program which will see the introduction of a wellbeing dog in our community. Our school wellbeing dog will become a much loved and important member of our community.
The Dogs Connect program will support us in implementing this very gradually, thoroughly, and considerately. At this stage we encourage anyone who would like to know more about this program to look through the website link below:
We are very excited to be introducing our wellbeing dog in the near future. We have a team of staff who will lead this program. We look forward to sending more information in the coming weeks. We would also like to assure the community that this program will not involve anyone who does not wish to be involved. We know that this work will have a really positive impact on many people in our community, and we acknowledge and respect that connection with our wellbeing dog will be offered on a great variety of levels.
Wellbeing dogs can help improve mental health and wellness in young people.
If your questions haven’t been answered below, please don’t hesitate to contact our Learning for Wellbeing Leader Mr Len Tobin on 93662544 or ltobin@crcstalbans.com.au.
| Common Q&A for Families |
| Q. Is there going to be a dog roaming around the school as it pleases?
A. No, there will always be very thorough planning and supervision related to all of the dogs movements. |
| Q. How do I let the school know about some of our cultural considerations?
A. All families will be given the opportunity to give us information that we will need to be aware of and plan for. |
| Q. Where does the dog live?
A. The dog lives with a primary carer who is a staff member at the school. |
| Q. How often will the dog be at school?
A. The school dog will start attending 1 – 2 days per week and may build up to a maximum of 3 – 4 days per week. |
| Q. What if my child is allergic to dogs?
A. This information will be collated by the school and your child can be included on may different levels without being at risk. |
| Q. Will the dog be too distracting for my child’s learning?
A. This program, when done well, has proven to have far more positive impacts on learning than negative. |
| Q. How is having the dog at school good for my child?
A. When connection is built authentically between human and animal we see a reduction in anxiety, lowered heart rates, increased social and emotional development and more. |
| Q. What if the dog bites someone?
A. In our policy manual we have a strict protocol that will deal with any such issues should they arise. |
| Q. What if my child is scared of dogs?
A. Fear is something that will be respected and acknowledged as very real. We hope to discuss this with anyone who needs to. |
| Q. Is this dog just for the students with high needs?
A. The school wellbeing dog will become a very familiar member of our entire community, not just for specific individuals or cohorts. |
| Q. Can my child play or interact with the school dog?
A. We will be looking to create as many possibilities to create connections between any interested students and the school dog, however, this may take some time. |
| Q. Is the dog at risk of too much stimulation at school?
A. If the school dog is living a really balanced work life, aligned with the Dogs Connect training model, we believe a healthy state will be sustained. |