Randolph Education is Golden

Originally published on: June 25, 2007

Randolph Elementary Students were introduced to their new therapy dog, Sophie. Sophie was rescued from a bad environment and will attend school with the children next year after undergoing extensive training for the past several months.

While most Randolph Elementary students are enjoying their summer vacation, one student will be working. Her name is Sophie.

She’s trying to catch up with Zeke, who’s a few years ahead of her. Both are a little different than ordinary students––they walk on all fours and have soft, golden hair. They’re both Golden Retrievers who work as therapy dogs, part of the Edu-Pup program.

One-year-old Sophie is new to Randolph and was unveiled by her trainer as a surprise at an assembly during the last week of school.

“It just gave me goosebumps, the students were so excited when Sophie came out from behind the curtain,” said Randolph counselor Susie Mahoney. Sophie is a Golden Retriever rescue dog. Mahoney will be teaching Sophie over the summer how to behave in school.

Zeke, Randolph’s first therapy dog, is five years old and certified as a trained therapy dog. Zeke is in high demand at Randolph and keeps a busy schedule.

“We could have 100 dogs,” said Mahoney. She explained that Zeke, who hangs out in the counselor’s office, helps students who are upset. For example, a student whose dog had died was very sad. She came to the counselor’s office, sat and petted Zeke, who helped her feel better. If students need to go to the office, but will not go, they usually are persuaded to walk Zeke to the office.

Zeke also helps students learn. Students improve reading skills by reading out loud to him––he’s a good listener. Students who are working on specific educational goals often get to walk him around the school as a reward. Teachers use him as an inspiration for writing. He is even star of his own video, where he teaches everyone proper school behavior.

“Because of Zeke’s success, we got a second dog,” said Mahoney. Sophie knows a few commands, but she’ll be learning steadily throughout the summer to catch up with Zeke. If the welcome she received at the assembly is any indication, Sophie will be hard at work for a long time, helping students learn.