- Canines for Change is placing trained facility dogs in Mid-Michigan schools to support students and staff.
- The program is expanding with a new Eaton County facility, hoping to reach more schools across the region.
- Watch the video above to see Holbrook Elementary's dog Diesel
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Nikki Brown, a school psychologist and dog trainer, has spent 20 years building Canines for Change, the organization that trained the facility dogs in Grand Ledge Schools.
“They have to have a much higher level of obedience and training than a therapy dog,” Brown said.
Through a partnership with Grand Ledge Schools, she has developed a dog training program to help more dogs be placed in schools around Mid-Michigan.
“Putting a dog in every school allowed the whole district to come together as a program and all of the handlers to learn as a cohort and support each other,” Brown said.
Canines for Change works to breed the dogs and put them through a three-phase training program. The program uses positive reinforcement, including treats and toys, to teach the dogs proper behavior.
“They have to be pretty resilient to noises, and obviously schools are very noisy and chaotic, so we work with them for eight weeks to be in busy environments, loud noises, all that kind of stuff,” Brown said.
But it’s not just the dogs that undergo training. Each facility dog has a handler who is also specially trained to engage the dog with students.
“We work with the handlers on how to actually use the dogs in the school. The dogs are not just wandering around for the kids to pet; they are actually purposefully used in lessons and behavior plans and things like that,” Brown said.
And students like Charlotte say they love having Diesel in their classroom.
“Because he’s nice to me, he’s cute, and he’s adorable,” Charlotte said.
Brown said she hopes to expand the program at her new Eaton County facility, helping more families, schools, and organizations benefit from specially trained dogs.
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