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Best in class: Langford therapy dog, owner awarded top marks at middle school
The pair made weekly wellness visits and helped a struggling student engage more at school, while PATS says it serves about 18,000 people a year.
- David Clarabut and his six-year-old border collie, Cooper, became familiar faces at Spencer Middle School and Dunsmuir Middle School during their first year volunteering for the Pacific Animal Therapy Society.
- Last September, counsellor Sandra Birkenhead matched the pair with students struggling to engage with school life, where Cooper's presence and Clarabut's calm, grandfatherly demeanor helped draw them out of their shells.
- Clarabut balances his volunteer role with caring for his wife, Nancy, who lives with dementia; he is one of 120 volunteers with the Pacific Animal Therapy Society, which reaches around 18,000 individuals annually.
- PATS governance chair Trina Gendall describes the pair as "star volunteers" who adapted "like a duck to water," noting that successful pet therapy relies on the handler's direction as much as the animal's nature.
- When the new school year begins, Clarabut will return to Spencer and Dunsmuir, adding Langford's Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School to his rounds as Birkenhead intends to increase awareness of their supportive role.
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Peninsula News Review+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Best in class: Langford therapy dog, owner awarded top marks at middle school
Starting middle school can be nerve-racking for even the most confident student – perhaps even more so for a six-year-old border collie and his retired owner. Fortunately for David Clarabut and his faithful canine companion Cooper, they needn’t have worried – the pair earned top marks from both teachers and students. In their first year as volunteers for the Pacific Animal Therapy Society (PATS), the duo have become familiar faces at Langford’s …
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Total News Sources3
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution100% Left
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources lean Left
100% Left
L 100%
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