Meet the Quebec pups supporting high school students and teachers through zootherapy

Benjamin and Cooper are well schooled and ready to get back to head pats and frequent treats from high school students and staff at Paul-Le Jeune high school in Saint-Tite, Que.

Christmas break is over and the golden retriever and Great Pyrenees duo are back, frequenting the school in shifts with their owner, high school English teacher Stéphanie Lavallée.

As of December, she had completed 560 hours of training as part of a zootherapy program to comfort and support students in the school, located 65 kilometres north of Trois-Rivières.

"It's so healing and it just brings all the tensions down," said Lavallée.

"Everybody's happy when they're around a dog."

She says the dogs have even helped some students with their nerves — sitting front row during oral presentations in class.

Lavallée says her two dogs have distinct personalities. (Josée Ducharme/Radio-Canada)

Dogs work on rotation

Two years ago, Lavallée began bringing her dogs into school occasionally as she started following the zootherapy training program.

Having completed the course, Lavallée will be bringing the dogs in every day on rotation, based on the needs of the students.

Although the dogs are usually at rest while she's teaching, Lavallée says, they go to work once they leave her classroom. She says she's always keeping a "watchful eye on them."

"What we learn in classes and the training is that animal safety is what ensures the people's safety around. So it's very important to prioritize the animals' well-being," said Lavallée.

Isaac Houle-Poliquin helps walk the dogs outside so they can stretch their legs. (Josée Ducharme/Radio-Canada)

'They make my day,' says student

She notes that the dog's "distinct personalities" — Cooper is spirited and Benjamin is laid back to the point of being lazy — help her meet different needs.

She recalls a student who refused to get out of a car on her first day of high school.

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But Cooper's enthusiasm did the trick.

"He's a happy-go-lucky kind of guy," said Lavallée. "So he would just stand out there and look at her and wag his tail. So she just wanted to pet him. So step by step, she came out of the vehicle."

Cooper checks out a photo of himself with the class. (Submitted by Stéphanie Lavallée)

Zootherapy is said to reduce stress and anxiety in humans and Lavallée says it has even helped motivate some students.

"Sometimes the kids, when they feel bad, they'll come and see the dog. And I can either talk or not talk," said Lavallée.

"Sometimes I just leave them in silence with the dog and they just need that moment."

LISTEN | How these dogs are calming nerves at a Quebec high school: 

Maé-Soleil Davidson, a Secondary 5 student, says the dogs bring a lot of laughter to her schoolmates.

"Each time I'm having a hard day or something, I see them in the hallway and I'm like, 'oh Ben, hi.' And he comes to see me and they make my day," said Davidson.

Isaac Houle-Poliquin is one of the students tasked with walking the dogs outside.

"It's fun. It gives you something else to do and it takes your mind off things," said Houle-Poliquin.

Alyson Auger and Laurence Toupin hug Benjamin in class. They say he's a calming presence. (Josée Ducharme/Radio-Canada)

'Makes me forget my worries,' says principal

The school principal, Marie-Josée Lepage, says she wasn't sure about the idea of zootherapy dogs at first but has since noticed their positive impact.

"I've personally witnessed moments when teachers were angry and Stéphanie was close by. [The dog] understands, he sticks close by and it really has a calming effect," said Lepage.

"Even for me, it makes me forget my worries for a few seconds."

While Lavallée hopes more schools offer zootherapy, she says owners need to be trained under an official program in order to be insured.

The students are encouraged to adapt to meet the needs of the canines. Posters on the walls give basic instruction and some garbage cans are removed from Benjamin's field of vision because of his apparent appetite.