Meet Ozzy, a therapy dog at Northcott School. Katherine Johnson, Headteacher at Northcott School, discusses how she decided that a therapy dog was needed for her school, and the impact that Ozzy has had on her autistic pupils. 

Northcott School is a specialist provision for almost 200 pupils with speech, language and communication needs. Most of these needs are linked to pupils being autistic. Currently, 91% of our pupils are diagnosed as autistic. 

It is well documented that animals have a positive impact on autistic children’s ability to cope, regulate emotions and communicate. In a school focused on social communication and interaction, it seemed sensible to consider the positive impact that introducing a therapy dog could have on our students. 

Committing to a full-time therapy dog wasn’t an easy decision. But having read books such as Introducing a school dog and academic articles such as The roles of animals for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, the resounding outcome was that any negatives were more than outweighed by the positives. 

The steps to introducing a therapy dog 

The practical and health and safety implications of introducing a therapy dog were surprisingly easy. A basic risk assessment existed that I was able to tweak to reflect having a dog based on-site rather than visiting, to which I added details of the dog’s public liability insurance. This is standard on most dog insurance policies due to their potential interaction with other people and dogs on walks, and as an assistance dog, there was no requirement for anything more formal. There are fewer restrictions on emotional support dogs than on sight or hearing support animals. 
It is worth at this point noting that most buildings, shops and services have not yet recognised emotional support animals, and they are not yet permitted in these premises. This I have personally found restricting. As a society, we must do better and recognise that the role of emotional support animals is equally as valid in an increasingly neurodiverse world.
The next step was to identify a quality breeder with all the required paperwork who could discuss the family history of the puppy. An excellent history of good temperament is key to the success of an assistance dog. One was located, investigated and finally brought to his forever home. 

Ozzy had arrived. The dog that was not only to be part of my family, but offer so much more to so many. 

Introducing Ozzy to Northcott School

Ozzy began formal puppy behavioural training from three months old, which introduced him to sensory stimulation, formal agility and obedience training. He also interacted with lots of other dogs of all ages and sizes. 

By September, and at the age of eight months, Ozzy began attending school. We started with training days only, and then short periods in school to allow him to feel safe in the school environment. He was then carefully introduced to children one to one or in small groups in the safety of the main office. This process was led purely by Ozzy; he naturally craved interaction with his new humans, and you could see that he was taking everything in his stride. 

Initially, I went with him as a familiar face, taking him on short walks with pupils to classes and to be seen out and about. His popularity increased dramatically, with more than 99% of our cohort having signed permission for therapy dog access. 

Ozzy is now a confident, entertaining, adaptable two-year-old cocker spaniel with an ability to trot off on a walk with a child and make them feel like the most important person in the world. He can adapt from a bouncy young dog with the children who may be more hyperactive and need rough play, to a quiet, sedate dog who likes nothing more than to lie on his back for a belly rub. The switch is instinctual. 

Ozzy has enhanced our school: he loves being here, he enhances the wellbeing of staff, pupils and visitors alike, and I think he just gets the importance of what he does. 

What impact has Ozzy had on the pupils? 

I measure the impact of Ozzy’s work in different ways. There is the formal feedback from our pupils and parents; the “How’s Ozzy?” questions every time I am seen without him; and the number of phone calls to the office to “see if Ozzy is free.” 

Ozzy is an embedded part of our school. His celebrity status and popularity is clear. His name appears on de-escalation plans; it regularly appears in books, in lessons, on reports, on visual timetables, and on pictures drawn by pupils proudly handed over to me on a daily basis for my office wall. 

The most obvious impact for me is on regulation. Pupils who are in crisis see Ozzy coming, and immediately you see their awareness of him and the worry that noise may upset him. This changes their presentation. In the simplest sense, he is an immediate distraction. 

For me, the biggest impact measurement tool is very simple. I ask for photos of pupils interacting with Ozzy, and what I see are smiles that show contentment, happiness, calmness and love on both sides. I have a folder with tens of photos of pupils spending time with Ozzy. Some pupils’ homes are not the right environment for a pet due to other complexities, and what Ozzy is providing is access to the positives and responsibilities that owning a pet brings. 

Ozzy provides a wider educational element to our curriculum. This is impact beyond measure. 

Article sources/references:

Drabble, C. (2019). Introducing a school dog: our adventures with Doodles the schnoodle. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers 
Tepper, D. L. et al (2022). Therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder: impacts of active versus passive dog engagement. Human-animal interaction bulletin, 13(1), pp75-90