Cooper The Therapy Dog

Now here’s an interesting piece to give a mention to. Thinking about it, it could even be the introduction to an interesting anecdote. “Did you hear the one about the dog, a school and it’s schoolchildren?” type of thing. For so many reasons this idea ticks so many positive boxes. Say “Hello” to Cooper The Therapy Dog.

Cooper The Therapy Dog

Any visitors to my website will know I am an animal lover. A quick glance over at my Chester Zoo section and my Chester Zoo page will confirm that. Not only that, having four furry, attention seeking residents of our own, shows that animals definitely play a large part in our lives.

So, what exactly, or who exactly is “Cooper The Therapy Dog?”

Cooper The Therapy Dog-Dee Point School

This is not only a great idea but it also demonstrates how much progress education establishments have made in respect of going beyond delivering school curricula and educational lessons only.

Some reading this may feel a…..here we go, here’s a “When I was a lad” moment coming on.

So, not to disappoint……”when I was a lad…….there was none of this support”.

Any such schemes like this can only be good when in harness with educational studies as pupils are encouraged, supported and educated in so many ways.

How So?

Before I elaborate any further, now may be a good time to give you a bit of a visual summary of how Cooper The Therapy Dog is involving himself with local schoolchildren and how they react with him.

Without any further ado, take a bow Cooper (a bow I said…..not a bone!!! Really Cooper, behave!!!!)……here he is in this little piece entitled….

A Day In The Life Of Cooper

Have a watch of this You Tube video and watch how important Cooper is to these pupils and to the school at large.

This video was created by pupils from Dee Point Primary school in Blacon, Chester. It was produced as part of a presentation at a Pupil’s Conference at the Civic Hall in Ellesmere Port.

The video outlines how Dee Point Primary were able to get a Therapy Dog in their school and how Cooper supports children across the school.

Great video isn’t it. Well done Cooper and of course, well done to the children as well.

Wait A Minute-There’s More-Cooper The Therapy Dog At Work

Have a read of this in conjunction with watching the video above. It gives you a bit more meat on the bones (stop…..stop with the doggy puns!!!) so to speak.

To summarise, you can see how Cooper helps the young children and how well he is cared for and loved.

There are many benefits that Cooper provides. For instance, children can benefit educationally and emotionally from his presence.

Also, it increases their understanding of responsibility and develop empathy and nurturing skills through contact with a suitable calm dog.

Furthermore the presence of a dog in school provides an opportunity for children (and teachers!!!) to develop their social skills. Developing social skills at an early age can work so very well and open so many doors for pupils at so many stages of their life.

And of course it will give children the opportunity of learning how to treat and behave with animals.

We never had any of these opportunities around, “when I was a lad”. It’s great that these lessons can be learned by our latest generation of youngsters.

In addition to these benefits, children take great enjoyment from interaction with animals. By having a dog the school want to encourage those children specifically who are vulnerable, or those who are less confident with reading, to have a friendly audience to look forward to reading as a treat!

What Sort Of A Dog Is Cooper?

Cooper is from a breed called a Cockerpoo. Or maybe that should be renamed a “Cooperpoo”.

Cooper and Cockerpoo dogs generally are carefully selected as ideally suitable for this type of environment.

As you will see from the video anyway, it probably goes without saying that Cooper is well cared for and responsibly owned by a staff member.

Risks and Responsibilities

Is there a risk in bringing a dog into a school environment?

Dee Point’s policy shows how they have thought carefully about school life with a pet dog and how, through careful management, there is a very low risk of harm, if any at all.

These points have been carefully considered and incorporated into the whole scheme of things.

Dee Point’s Responsibilities

Firstly, Cooper will be owned by teacher, Mr Ortega. Also…..

• Veterinary costs will be paid by Mt Ortega, with the exception of non-essential veterinary costs required by the school.
• As already mentioned, Cooper is a Cockerpoo. A Cockerpoo was chosen for its mild temperament and low shedding coat.
• The Head Teacher and Governors have agreed that a dog will bring many benefits to Dee Point Primary School.
• The vast majority of pupils are very keen to have a small dog on site. Where there are any concerns or fears expressed by individuals a care plan will be put in place.
• All risk assessments will be reviewed annually.
• When visitors and pupils arrive at school they will be advised of the presence of a dog.
• Cooper will be highly trained as a therapy dog. The cost of training will be borne by the school.

OK Cooper Over To You

So what will Cooper bring to the table?

I have had a word with Cooper and he tells me that first of all he will be gentle and loving. Not only that though. He will, at the same time, be full of fun and provide enjoyment for the pupils. That’s two very important boxes ticked right there.

And what about this.

As a reward, those pupils who have performed incredibly well during the week, or those who have made progress in a particular subject, or those who have achieved tasks set for them, will be rewarded with spending time during lunch or break-time to interact with Cooper. If that’s not an incentive for the pupils then I don’t know what is!!!

Walking, grooming, playing and training are some of the responsibilities pupils will be allowed to undertake.

See, Cooper isn’t just there to make up the numbers, or to just have his belly rubbed (although that may be quite nice now and then). No siree, he is going to help the pupils. Did you know for instance that it has been proved that working and playing with a dog improves children’s social skills.

All in all a great match for both Cooper and the pupils. Everyone’s a winner as they say.

You can see so much more about Cooper and Dee Point School generally by clicking HERE.

Cooper The Therapy Dog On Twitter

And, like all budding little, local superstars, Cooper has his own Social Media presence. Here below you can follow his adventures on his very own Twitter page – https://twitter.com/coopertherapy?lang=en

To follow Dee Point School, have a look HERE

Cooper The Therapy Dog and Chester Lifestyle. Who knows, Cooper (and Dee Point School and it’s pupils) may like to make features on my Chester Lifestyle website a regular event?

I think it would be great to follow his exploits on a regular basis. Just a thought.

Great work Cooper and a huge “well done” also to the pupils and staff at Dee Point Primary School. Excellent stuff.

Chester Lifestyle

This article about Cooper The Therapy Dog epitomises a local story that I just love writing about. Any readers of my website will probably see that I like to write about a variety of topics. This article is a great addition to my website.

What else do I write about? Apart from the several pages of interest on the home page HERE, there are quite a lot of topical blog posts as well. For the full range of blog posts, have a look HERE.

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