A Dog’s Purpose : PUP Program brings support to students in Effingham County
The Effingham County School District uses trained therapy dogs like Bowie and Zoey at Sand Hill Elementary School - to support students' academic
By Frank Sulkowski
Click here for updates on this story
SPRINGFIELD, Georgia (WJCL) — Talk about being a teacher’s pet.
“He’s very friendly, loves kids and he’s a smart dog,” said Traci Whitaker when talking about her pup, Bowie.
Those qualities have this dachshund at the head of the class at South Effingham Elementary School.
Bowie is part of the Effingham County School District’s PUP Program.
PUP stands for Pups Uplifting People.
The animal-assisted intervention therapy dog program supporting students at all schools throughout the school district.
“Having a program like this has been a valuable resource,” says South Effingham Elementary principal Judd Alford. “The kids are excited about coming to school and having the chance to work with these therapy dogs.”
The Effingham County School District uses trained therapy dogs like Bowie and Zoey at Sand Hill Elementary School – to support students’ academic, social and emotional well-being.
“Zoey is definitely is a cheerleader,” said Beth Vance, Zoey’s handler. “She is just calming. Some days kids have rough mornings and she’s there for them. Sometimes we just walk around the halls and see the kids.”
The dogs and their full-time handlers make weekly visits to schools across the county where they help hundreds of students improve things like focus and confidence while often reducing anxiety and stress.
“She just has a calming presence for the staff, students and even me,” said Vance.
“If a student’s emotional needs are met then they are more in gear to meet their academic needs and communication needs,” said Whitaker.
You have the opportunity to help the PUP Program this September.
The 2nd annual ECSD PUP Fun Run is set for Saturday, September 13 at the Honeyridge Agricenter in Guyton.
Money raised during the fundraiser will help fund training for new therapy dogs in Effingham County.
The PUP Fun Run is open to runners, walkers and their four-legged friends. Dogs must be on a leash and under control at all times.
The Fun Run starts at 8:30 a.m.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
