MENASHA, Wis. — Many high schoolers worry about things like grades, conflict or body image, which can cause lots of stress.
A therapy dog is helping relieve some of that pressure and is providing comfort to students at a Fox Valley High School.
Prada is a four-legged freshman who is helping out. She’s a 3-year-old golden lab mix and the newest addition at Menasha High School.
Lauren Schultz is a guidance counselor and Prada’s handler. Schultz said Prada has a big job inside the student services office.
“She’ll be providing just that extra level of comfort for students. So maybe they come down if they’re upset, or if they’re feeling really anxious, just that other resource that they can use to help calm down or just kind of distress,” Schultz said.
Menasha High School Principal Adam Baier was instrumental in securing grants and school board approval for Prada. Baier said she is a valuable asset to the school and students.
“I knew that Prada would add to our culture and community and she already has in the short time she has been with us just by being available to students that may be struggling to start a new school year or helping students just kind of make this transition or be comfortable in our environments. So, we’re very fortunate,” Baier said.
Prada was initially trained as a service dog but couldn’t fully perform key commands, so trainers found another purpose for her.
“She wasn’t able to alert in order to do that job and with her personality and her love of belly rubs, they thought she would be a perfect fit for a therapy dog,” Schultz said.
Prada spends part of her mornings and passing periods strolling the halls. That gives her the opportunity to interact with students.
“When students are walking, they see her and they just kind of lift their spirits a little bit,” Schultz said.
Eve Rausch is one student who is always happy to see Prada.
“It’s very comforting knowing that there’s a support animal here at school,” Rausch said.
Rausch said the simple scratches and belly rubs are heart-warming. She said knowing that Prada’s only job is to make her and other students happy makes the day better.
“Lots of students, including myself, feel more comfortable when we know that there’s something other than a teacher or another student. A lot of people have support animals at home that bring them a lot of comfort,” Rausch said.
Schultz said this therapy dog will be accessible to all students.
“Prada will also be spending a little bit of time in some of our classrooms with our students with disabilities. So they’ll do some practicing of some life skills, such as grooming her, taking her outside, feeding her, giving her water, those types of things,” Schultz said.
The school has special accommodations in place for students who are allergic or don’t like dogs