I saw this tonight while looking at the news and thought it well worth sharing. What a great addition to any school. My Caity took Maya inside the school after it was out for the day a few weeks ago when I went to pick her up and the principal was less than happy and made her take her back outside.... His loss. I wonder how much of a difference it would make in the atmosphere of any school if there was a friendly, warm stress reliever roaming the halls. http://www.aol.com/video/cat-greets-mai ... latestnews
What a sweet story. I love those big old tabby cats. I happen to have one sitting near my feet right now. When I taught middle school, we had an "EduPup" Riley, a little West Highland Terrier that came to school with her teacher-owner every day for years. The kids and staff loved that little, spoiled doggy.
We have care homes and even some hospitals that welcome visits from pets. They are call 'pat' pets and have a very positive effect on the patients. People who find it hard to communicate will talk to these animals and become more socially integrated because of their influence. Even some prisons have inmates who train puppies as future guide dogs for the blind. You can see from the film clip how the teachers and pupils in the school look forward to seeing Simba each day so what harm can he be doing?
Some of the residents at local nursing home have cats.As long as litter trained.And people bring their dogs in-for snuggle and petting time.
We, have a nursing home our church runs and I do see a man bring his two little dogs in on Sunday mornings. So, I am guessing they don't mind as long as the dogs are leashed at all times. It is amazing to see how old and young alike, sick or healthy all respond to a friendly pet. I keep hoping Maya will become calm enough to take her places soon without the worry of jumping on unsuspecting victims. There are plenty of people out there who are lonely and or scared and really need the comfort of a pet.
Carolyn, Maya would be a wonderful comforter--I hope she can go to school and that the principal comes to his senses. There is an elderly/shelter care home in a nearby town that has a garden, and people will bring their pets by to visit with anyone sitting out. Some of the residents who spend their time sitting in their rooms will make a great effort to get out if they see a dog or cat visiting.
Many nursing homes and other care facilities will allow some pets to be brought in if they are on a leash, updated on their vaccinations, frequently bathed and treated to prevent ticks and fleas from hiding on them and the facilities liability insurance allows it. Schools probably not so much because of the liability of it, many kids are really scared of dogs or cats, alergies to animals can sometimes be life threatening, many have never been taught how to treat animals so there is the consideration for the poor animal who gets mistreated and teachers have classes to teach instead of keeping a constant eye on wandering animals....other than the students Some Principals will ban them because of personal preference, but most likely it is a matter of school district policy because of all the above mentioned restrictions and possibilities.
With all the publicity about how visiting pets relieve stress and give a well being feeling the principle in Caity's school sadly seems to be out of touch with the rest of the world.
