NEW HIRES AT PPS: Elementary Education Supervisor Sarah Moore and goldendoodle therapy dog Tiger are two of the newest employees at the Princeton Public Schools (PPS). Tiger will be going in to all four PPS elementary schools on a rotating basis next spring after he completes his full training and certification. (Photo courtesy of Princeton Public Schools)

By Donald Gilpin

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of our nation’s children has been in jeopardy. “A silent epidemic” is how an NPR report described the situation. “Our public schools are struggling to handle millions of students with mental health problems,” NPR stated, and the pandemic has sharply ratcheted up anxiety, depression, stress, and tension for children and adults over the past two-and-a-half years. 

But the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) has a new secret weapon-in-training to help combat this crisis. It’s Tiger, their new therapy dog, who will be working at all four elementary schools on a rotating basis after he completes his training and earns his credentials.

“There have been a lot of studies done around therapy animals and how having therapy animals in school affects student learners and lowers stress,” said Elementary Education Supervisor Sarah Moore. “They help to lower cortisol levels, which relate to stress, and they help students decompress and feel comfortable in their environment.”

Tiger — “fluffy,” “calm,” and “very affectionate,” according to school authorities — is a hypoallergenic, low-shedding goldendoodle. He already weighs more than 30 pounds and will probably grow to about 55 pounds. His name is the result of a vote by the elementary students. 

Tiger has already met with the Board of Education, at last week’s Zoom meeting, and with the administrative team. Until he is fully trained, Tiger will be in the district only on Fridays, when he visits the Valley Road administration building. He is living with Moore and her husband and their two children.

After Tiger completes his training with Tricia Baker from AIR (Attitudes in Reverse) in Princeton Junction and achieves official certification as a therapy dog, he will be prepared to go into the elementary schools to interact with children.

“Last Friday was a big day for Tiger because he received his official PPS ID badge,” said PPS Public Information Officer Elizabeth Collier. “He seemed pleased, but he also seemed interested in chewing on it.”

Moore, who joined the district in August, has worked with therapy dogs at other schools, and once she persuaded the superintendent, assistant superintendent, and director of student services that a therapy dog would be a feasible idea for PPS, she started searching for the right dog for the job. 

“I reached out to local breeders. TriState Bernedoodles in West Berlin really felt passionate about therapy dog programs and decided to donate what they considered to be the highest therapy potential puppy of the litter,” said Moore. “The trainers felt that he had the right stuff to do therapy work.”

In her work with therapy dogs in other districts, Moore noted, “The outcome, particularly with difficult-to-reach students, has been wonderful. It’s another method to reach students who need support, and I have seen firsthand what a huge difference it can make.”

She pointed out that Tiger might be used in a number of different situations and settings in the elementary schools, including during reading lessons. “There’s a lot of research around students improving their literacy when they’re able to read with dogs. It improves their oral reading fluency, which is so wonderful. I imagine Tiger will be invited to classrooms for some reading lessons.”

Moore went on to describe some of the positive effects that animals can have on people of all ages. “Dogs can really open up people in different ways,” she said. “Some children who are shy in personality sometimes open up in different ways when animals are around. Since we started the therapy dog program, I’ve had so many staff members come up and tell me how excited they were and how they love dogs. We’ve started some great conversations that way. We’re all excited to have our first therapy dog in district.”