School pet provides unusual therapy for children
5:26 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2008
Ogden Elementary may look like your average elementary school, but inside the doors there’s a guy named Mac who’s a little out of the ordinary.
"Mac has been a friend to all the kids," Ogden Elementary Principal Jim Armendariz said.
Mac is a fox-red Labrador Retriever who spends everyday at the school.
Owner Tim Hansen rescued him from the Junction City Animal Shelter four years ago.
"I talked to Mr. Armendariz, our principal here at Odgen, and told him what a nice personality Mac had and he said, 'Well bring him over and try him out,' and he’s still here," Hansen said.
Mac roams around the school comforting children.
"Sometimes kids are having a bad day and they just need somebody to snuggle up to or take Mac for a walk around the inside of the school here," Hansen said.
Sixth-grader Tyler Devin used to struggle with test anxiety, but spending time with Mac helped him ace the state math assessment.
"He is a very joyful dog," Devin said. "He doesn’t rough-house or anything. He’s a bit quiet and he is like cuddly sometimes."
Not everyone liked Mac at first.
"We had a first grade teacher that was definitely afraid of dogs, but by the time she left, her and Mac were best of friends," Hansen said.
For Ogden Elementary, Mac is a form of therapy for the children.
"There are lots of strategies that we’ve tried with kids to help them and when we see something that works like Mac, we keep them," Aremendariz said. "Mac’s a keeper."
Mac spends most of his time in the computer lab with his owner, but he’s free to roam around the school.
The only place he isn’t allowed is the cafeteria.
He also isn't the only dog in the USD 383 who is a school pet.
Woodrow Wilson and Manhattan High School West each have a dog of their own.
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