Students having a “ruff” time because of end-of-year grades, Advanced Placement or state testing, can sign up for the Friday, May 1, Dog Wellness Event organized by Sunny Hills mental health specialist Staci Balliet.
Balliet said David Saldana, the mental health specialist of Fullerton High School [FHS] reached out to those in the same job title in the other high schools in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District through a Tuesday, Nov. 18 email and their team district meeting to recommend it as a great way for them to start May, the Mental Health Awareness month, often a stressful time for students.
“I feel like therapy dogs are a unique way to help stress reduction, and especially as we near the end of the year, students can really benefit from receiving some extra support,” Balliet said.
Saldena told them about an activity held by the Pause 4 Paws club of the same school. The club had already gotten the event district-approved, completed the insurance information and was allowed to hold the event, so Balliet said she wanted to do something similar.
The FHS Dog Wellness Event was held on Monday, Dec. 15, and Balliet said she attended along with other mental health specialists from the district, where Balliet saw about 40 students participating.
“It was neat to see another way students can access mental health interventions,” she said.
The SH mental health specialist advertised the upcoming event through flyers around school, digitally through the @winstonthelancer and @shhs_guidance Instagram handles and morning announcements throughout February. She said she also reached out to the Director of Safety and Risk Management, Dr. Chris Davis, to inform him of the event and ensure it follows regulations.
The SH mental health specialist also said she contacted the Alliance of Therapy Dogs [ATD], the agency the FHS club used to find the dogs for their event. According to their website, ATD is a network that trains canines and handlers to participate in and volunteer in events like these. Balliet said she was able to get three handlers to volunteer, however one canceled at the last minute.
“Vera is a Great Pyrenees … and the other dog is a cocker spaniel whose handler says loves to cuddle,” she said.
Mary Fodness, the handler for Vera, said she has been volunteering for 30 years with many dogs of the same breed as Vera.
“[Vera] started in November. She took over for my old girl, who just turned ten last year,” Fodness said. “ Normally we [volunteer] at St. Jude Hospital; [we] walk around and she gets petted by everybody, staff, visitors, patients, anybody [that] wants to pet her.”
The American Cocker Spaniel’s name is Buttercup, and her handler, Sue Hunsaker, said she wanted to come back for this event next year, around fall time.
“I would love to come back, and the students were wonderful. They loved the dogs; they were very gentle,” Hunsaker said.
“There are three dogs that we’ve confirmed to participate,” Balliet said. “Vera is a Great Pyrenees, Grace is a golden retriever and the other dog is a cocker spaniel whose handler says loves to cuddle.”
ATD is a Wyoming-based organization, and said it helps to provide insurance to volunteers and share information with them for events like Sunny Hills’, where therapy dogs are needed.
As of Friday, April 10, Balliet said 50 students completed the interest form and 40 submitted waivers to participate. She said she plans to summon multiple participants and let them see the dogs in groups outside near the Performing Arts Center during third and fourth period to assign students individual or group appointments to sign up for, depending on how many sign up.
Senior Desirea Valdez said she saw a digital flyer about the event posted in her guidance counselor’s Google Classroom. She is looking forward to meeting the dogs, especially to see if she would benefit from owning a therapy companion herself.
“I’ve [dealt] with a complicated and traumatic past,” Valdez said. “I always try to find things to calm myself down, and [petting] a dog soothes me.”
Freshman Milo Eurs also said she heard about the event via her counselor’s Google Classroom. She said she likes dogs and would want to have this experience again next year.
“I think that [having this yearly] would be great,” Eurs said. “Especially since it’s before finals, I think it could be an opportunity to calm down kids who are stressed about it.”
Senior Noelani Canotal said she heard about the event through the weekly Guidance Gazette, a newsletter that the SH guidance counselors email to students and parents to provide information about scholarships and other events.
“The Fullerton Library used to do a reading to dogs session every other Thursday, and I always liked that, so I thought that this would be something fun to do, especially since I’m coming to the end of my senior year,” Canotal said.
Canotal said she participated in the Reading with the Dogs event when she was a freshman and has experience working with animals as a member of the Future Farmers of America program. She said she considers herself a dog person, owning three dogs herself, and is excited to meet the ones that will come to the Therapy Dog Event.
“I’m always excited when I see other dogs out and about,” Canotal said. “I’ve always loved the comfort that animals give you, and so I’m excited to see how this event turns out, and I’m hoping that it’s a good one so it continues on.”
Whether to test the waters of owning a therapy dog or just to spend a soothing time away from daily life, Balliet said, this is a unique way to incorporate mental health for students.
“I think it’s awesome that not only the admin here on campus, but the district is open to different ways of accessing mental health for students,” Balliet said.
