SHSD161 Welcomes New Employee Davis the Dog

For those having a “ruff” day, Davis brings the “paws-itivity” 

Summit Hill School District 161 has welcomed its first-ever four-legged staff member to Frankfort Square School. 

Davis, the district’s new facility dog, is trained to work in Frankfort Square and other Summit Hill district schools to support and assist students and staff. 

Davis was introduced to Frankfort Square students and staff after the district’s Thanksgiving break, and she is already making a difference. She even made an immediate impact during student arrival on her very first day. When a crying student did not want to leave their parent to enter school, the offer of walking into the building with Davis was enough to stop the tears and entice the child into school. 

“The fact that Davis was there, and the student could walk into school with her, turned that kid’s day around,” said Principal Jason Isdonas. “She’s a blessing. It’s amazing how the behavior of some of our students has improved in just two weeks’ time.” 

The “Hiring” Process

Although it is common for schools to have therapy dogs visit on occasion, it is fairly unique for them to have facility dogs of their own, trained to work for and support their specific organization. 

Previously, Frankfort Square had been visited by a therapy dog named Sunny, one of Davis’ littermates. Sunny had been adopted by Audrey Fields, the school district’s former Occupational Therapist, when she was unable to fulfill her role as a service dog due to health issues. Fields had been a puppy raiser for Heartland Service Dogs, a non-profit organization based in Mokena that provides custom-trained service dogs to people with disabilities. 

“We saw the positive impact that Sunny had with the kids in our Social Emotional Resource Program,” said Social Worker Kelly Robinson, who works with the district’s SER program at Frankfort Square. “There was improvement in student behavior, fewer melt-downs, more participation, more relaxed demeanor, and they were more engaged in lessons.” 

“I had been wanting to get a facility dog for our schools for as long as I can remember, and had talked about it for years,” added Robinson, who is in her 14th year at SHSD161. 

However, this year, the timing was right both personally and professionally. With the district’s theme this school year being “Think BIG,” Robinson decided to propose the idea of a facility dog to Superintendent Dr. Paul McDermott. She invited him to visit her SER class on a day when Fields had Sunny there and handed him a written proposal before he left the building. 

“I was amazed at the behavior of the students when engaging with the therapy dog and the connection they had,” recalls Dr. McDermott. “Kelly had already done the leg work, taken training on her own, and was committed to the process of adopting a therapy dog. After looking at the research and seeing it in action, it was easy to see that having a facility dog would benefit our district.” 

The SHSD161 Board of Education agreed, unanimously approving the facility dog program at its October meeting. 

Robinson, who had already been training to adopt a therapy dog, was officially paired with Davis soon after. The three-year-old female dog had been training with Heartland (now Healing Hearts Comfort Dogs) since she was a puppy, but it had been determined that she was better suited to be a facility dog rather than a service dog so she “changed careers.” Davis is a certified facility/comfort dog through Healing Hearts, has passed the Canine Good Citizen Test, and knows basic and advanced obedience skills and a variety of commands and hand signals. She was adopted by Robinson and her husband, Bryan, and came to live with them and their two-year-old lab mix, Groovy, in November. 

“Thanks to Kelly and her “Think BIG” idea, Summit Hill School District now has Davis the Dog and a progressive, forward-thinking program intended to support our students and staff,” said Dr. McDermott. 

An Immediate Impact

In preparation for Davis’ arrival, information and permission slips were sent home to parents, and students in each class were given instruction on how to interact with her.

Now on the job for almost three weeks, her impact is already being felt.

“One of the things I’m amazed at is the instructional time being gained because of Davis,” said Isdonas. “In the past, a student could be in the “chill zone” in Mrs. Robinson’s room for 10 minutes or more - even up to an hour sometimes - and with Davis, they can be back in class in minutes.”

“If a student is having a tough day, just seeing Davis in the morning and petting her in the hall might be enough to prevent them from having to come down here 15 minutes into the day because they’re upset about something. It might be just enough for them to manage and get through the day,” added Robinson. 

Davis has also helped to calm a student with aggressive behaviors more quickly because he is not allowed to see the dog or be by her until he is calm and ready and it is safe for everyone. She has helped a quiet student speak up and be more assertive as he is learning to give her commands and reward her with treats. She has helped to motivate SER students who are slow to attend group sessions by walking them there. Her presence is even helping to keep classrooms cleaner because Davis isn’t allowed to enter if there is a lot of clutter on the floor. 

“One day, we had seven kids rotate through my room to see Davis,” recalled Robinson. “Some were stressed about NWEA (standardized assessment) tests, some had some family stuff going on, and one had some friendship drama. So, what I thought was going to be a little bit lighter of a day turned into a revolving door.” 

But students are opening up and talking to Davis, and they are picking reward time to spend with her so they can pet her and play with her. 

“I knew our students would be excited about Davis, but I think it has surprised me how much they already rely on her being here now,” said Robinson. 

Evaluation Time

With Davis by her side at school three to four days per week, Robinson’s schedule looks a little different now. 

Time spent doing normal tasks, like walking to the office to make copies, takes longer because everyone she encounters wants to pet Davis. And time normally spent planning or doing paperwork is now sacrificed and done at home so that students and staff can interact with Davis while she’s in the building. 

“It’s a lot of work. It’s like having a toddler at school. You always have to be on watch. But we’re starting to figure out the logistics and how to balance our work,” said Robinson, who is assisted by two extension handlers who also trained to work with Davis - Second Grade Teacher Sheri Jendersak and Speech Pathologist Amanda Sabo. “But it’s been amazing to see the impact she has had already. Our students and staff have really embraced her presence.”

Davis already has a collection of pictures and cards from students by her crate. And instead of visiting the “chill zone” in Mrs. Robinson's room, students and staff are now referring to it as “Davis time.” 

“It has definitely exceeded my expectations,” raved Isdonas. “When I originally thought about having a facility dog in our school, I thought ok, Mrs. Robinson would have the dog in her room, and it would be available for students who need it. But Davis is now an integral member of our staff.”

“And I never thought about how much it would benefit our other staff members as well,” added Isdonas. “They have issues at home, and they have bad mornings too, so they come down and see the dog and then they go about their business refreshed and ready to go. In the beginning, I was thinking kids kids kids, but it’s actually much bigger than that.” 

“Everybody has their stressors at home, especially this time of year, and so when people come in and they’re trying to put that aside, she’s very therapeutic,” added Robinson. 

“It makes people happy for a moment, which then in turn spreads kindness,” said Isdonas. “I’m so proud. I’m proud of our kids and their respect for Davis and the fact that she’s working. And I can’t say enough about Kelly and the sacrifices she’s making so that Davis is available to help our kids while she’s here. It’s just been a win all the way around.”