RED FERN MISSION: Kylie's Story - "You're Enough": How the Power of a Dog can help Overcome Educational Obstacles for an At-risk Alternative Wisconsin High School

“My purpose, my whole life, had been to love him and be with him, to make him happy.” -Bailey the dog in A Dog’s Purpose referring to his boy Ethan

“ ...I beg of you, pretend you are a dog like me and LISTEN to other people rather than steal their stories.”

— Enzo the Golden Retriever in Art of Racing in the Rain

Both of these books also speak to the powerful role that a dog would serve at Neenah High School- Downtown Campus. My students really are the reason I am venturing into therapy dog training and hope to bring a dog’s love to my at-risk alternative school.

My students come from many different backgrounds, family circumstances, economic situations, but they all have a commonality; they are in danger of not graduating high school without an alternative placement and plan. Many of my students speak of feeling alone, hopeless, and not seen at the large main high school. Simply put, they feel “not enough”. Which, if you have ever felt “not enough” at something, it is a feeling that will paralyze any forward progress. They come to me as seniors who want desperately to graduate but have lost hope that graduation can truly be a reality.

The first challenge of teaching in an at-risk school is building trust and hope so students will let you in. The mistrust most of my students have towards teachers and adults, in general, leads them to respond to help in many different ways. Some students choose to be withdrawn while others react with anger. Emotional regulation is a skill that we work very hard to develop at the Downtown Campus. Naming emotions, understanding where they come from, and learning how to take a breath and steer our emotions to a healthier place is challenging work.

“The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles - preferably of his own making - in order to triumph.”

— Enzo, The Art of Racing in the Rain

Obstacles are something every student at Downtown Campus can speak of. Mental health, family deaths, substance abuse, and the need to be an adult well ahead of their time are the obstacles many students face every morning before coming to school. My students' strength and resilience amaze me every day and drive me to be the best teacher and friend.

Having a dog welcome students at Downtown Campus would be very powerful for many students' experience at school. Bailey, the dog in A Dog’s Purpose says it best that the entire purpose of his life was to love his boy, Ethan. Dogs do not judge and are truly there to be a patient, loving companion; something humans sometimes have a hard time being. One of my students, when asked the question of when they had been lonely wrote that “Ever since my dad abandoned me, my dog became my best friend and I could cry and never be judged by her. Sometimes, that is all I need.” Having a patient, loving, non-judgemental companion at school would help a lonely student feel comforted and an emotionally non-regulated student calm down. I truly believe that caring for another living creature and feeling the heartbeat of another living creature has inherent healing power.

I asked my students how they felt about the possibility of having a therapy dog at school and my students who suffer from anxiety had so much to say. One student said, “I had to work really hard to get to school because I had so much anxiety. I overcame it by talking with my teacher and making friends. If I knew there was going to be a friendly dog at school, it would be easier to feel comfortable and help me forget about being anxious.” Another said, “The only thing that used to make me get out of my bed during my serious depression was knowing that I had to let my dog out. My dog was really the only reason I could get up.”

The stories go on and on and after asking them to give me their insights today, I realized that even though we have created a safe environment for my students, there is still so much hurt and pain that is still raw in these kids. Their candid answers and stories had me knowing that adding a therapy dog was 1000% the right way to help heal and build up my students. Every student is “enough and perfect” to a dog and that is the message I want all of my students to feel and believe when they go out in the world.

“So much of language is unspoken. So much of language is compromised of looks and gestures and sounds that are not words. People are ignorant of the vast complexity of their own communication.”

— Enzo in Garth Stein’s, The Art of Racing in the Rain