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Pets Are Family

6/27/2012

9 Comments

 
I was being lazy on the couch this afternoon and stumbled upon an HBO documentary called One Nation Under Dog: Stories of Fear, Loss and Betrayal. This film deeply affected me; in fact, I have spent the last few hours crying and thinking about my own childhood dog, Cookie.
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Dogs are a special type of animal - they love you without question and support you, regardless of whether you are at your best or your worst. It is easy to hear about the loss of a pet and wonder why the owner is grieving so profoundly. As school counselors, we must be sensitive to our students' and their families' needs. Grief over a pet can affect a student at school just as much, if not more, than the loss of a human being. In some cases, students are able to connect with their pet in a way they cannot or have not with anyone else.
This is the reason I want to incorporate a therapy dog into my school counseling practice. Of course, I need to wait until I get a house with a yard, but I have been planning this in my head for a while. Having a trained dog at my school could motivate students (imagine earning time to walk, feed, or play with the dog) and provide an even more calming office environment. Of course, I need to talk with other school counselors about how they dealt with students or staff with a fear of dogs, especially if a student had been attacked by an animal in the past. Any thoughts? 
Finally, I wanted to share one of my favorite books about the death of a pet. I Remember is a story about a little boy and his dog, Jake. When Jake dies, the boy must find a way to cope with the loss without feeling guilty and worried about forgetting Jake.

Also, for the appropriate situation, Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven are two additional books that you may find helpful.
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For the pet owners out there, give your "babies" a big hug for me! I'll do the same, but I can't promise my cats will enjoy it. They can be a little moody, haha. ;)

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Do you have a great pet story? Have you ever run a small group that focused on dealing with the loss of a pet? If so, comment below!
9 Comments
Katie link
6/28/2012 10:20:44 am

I would LOVE to have a therapy dog if/when I become a school counselor. :) An elementary counselor in my district has one... I can get you her contact info if you ever need to talk with her about it. Perhaps we can go to some therapy dog workshops someday!

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Marissa Rex link
6/29/2012 01:51:17 am

That would be awesome, Katie! I have been to a couple workshops at the All Ohio Counselors Conference, but need a refresher, that's for sure.

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Jo link
6/28/2012 10:23:42 am

I use several that you have mentioned as well as THE TENTH GOOD THING ABOUT BARNERY; TOBY; GOOD BYE MOUSIE: JASPER"S DAY and SAYING GOOD BYE TO LULU.

I also like to use LIFETIMES as a way to explain death to children.

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Marissa Rex link
6/29/2012 01:52:14 am

Thanks for the helpful info, Jo! I'll definitely check out those books!

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Marissa Rex link
6/29/2012 02:01:48 am

I also forgot to mention a book about a class pet: Houdini Was. It's a story written by the actual students. Very moving! http://astore.amazon.com/elemeschoocou-20/detail/0545298148

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Barbara link
6/29/2012 07:03:51 am

Hey Marissa - I actually invite a trained Reading Dog to come to small group counseling classes every semester . . . you've given me an idea to blog about her. She's a keyshund . . . SO gentle with kids . . . and the students in small group LOVE when she visits. I'm always especially awestruck by how well behaved they are around her (even my Back In Control kiddos). And Sadie loves to visit us, we can tell!

Good-bye Sheepie is a pretty good grief/loss pet book, too.

Barbara
<a href="http://corneroncharacter.blogspot.com.html">The Corner On Character</a>

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Marissa Rex link
6/29/2012 09:21:11 am

Thanks, Barbara! I can't wait to read about Sadie!

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Rachel
7/18/2012 04:14:53 am

I am an elementary school counselor and I have brought my dog to school as a certified therapy dog for the past two years. I trained him myself and implemented the program at my school, and it has been a wonderful experience for everyone at my school. He has helped students with a variety of issues and has been a wonderful extra resource for everyone - he was invaluable when a staff member passed away unexpectedly. He is able to connect to the students in a way that surpasses anything I have ever seen, I would recommend having a therapy dog to everyone! I would be happy to share my experiences with you - it is hard to find information in this area geared toward school counselors. I think you should be able to see my e-mail, but if not, reply to this post and I will put it in the actual comment section.

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Marissa Rex link
7/18/2012 05:23:57 am

Hi, Rachel! Thank you for sharing!

I would love to talk with you about your experience - maybe we could even do a phone interview that I could edit and publish for my readers. Email me at marissa@elementaryschoolcounseling.org if you're interested. :)

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    My name is Marissa Rex and I am a 1st Grade teacher and an elementary school counselor from Ohio. I hope you enjoy my site!

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