Teacher’s pet has different meaning at Nampa school, where Coco and Moses help students
Most young students rely on the support of their teachers and classmates at school.
At Franklin D. Roosevelt Elementary in Nampa, the kids enjoy extra support from two four-legged, hypoallergenic friends.
Coco and Moses are school dogs — two poodle mixes who roam the hallways, greet students upon arrival and play fetch during recess. They also help students dealing with stress, struggles and mental health issues.
Coco is 4 years old and has worked with her handler, Principal Shawn Tegethoff, since she was a puppy. Moses joined the school almost a year ago; his handler is Anneke Wolfe, the school’s instructional coach.
Tegethoff told the Idaho Statesman in an interview that she became interested in using dogs to help students after visiting a school where a canine would visit and comfort students before tests.
“Our students feel the stressors of their parents and society, and sometimes they don’t know how to handle it,” Tegethoff said. “The dogs just bring them comfort and help them through situations that they’re going through. If they’re grieving or if they’ve had trauma, the dogs are a big comfort to them.”
Although they are not registered therapy dogs, Coco and Moses receive regular training from the police department, the principal said.
School dogs: an intervention to regulate emotions
There are signs across each hallway entering Franklin D. Roosevelt Elementary labeled as “the zones of regulation.” The signs represent a spectrum students use to identify their emotions. Green indicates that a student feels ready to learn and red means a student is feeling angry. There are other colors in between.
When students express they are in the red zone, they have the option to visit Coco or Moses to help with their emotions.
Wolfe said the zones teach students that it’s OK to express their feelings.
“If I bring kids into my office — and most of the time it’s because they’re struggling or having a hard day — I let them be and Moses does the work for me,” Wolfe said. “He calms them down until they are out of the red zone … to become more in the green zone.”
According to school data, Tegethoff said the presence of school dogs has worked nearly 100% of the time to help students transition from feeling angry to calm. She recalled when a student’s parents were going through a divorce, and he expressed to her how comforted he felt spending time with the dogs.
“It was really comforting to him to come to school and to sit with a dog for a little while every day during his lunchtime,” Tegethoff said. “He enjoyed that quiet time for himself, being able to think and talk to a dog that won’t repeat what he’s going through. It was really heartwarming to see.”
‘Coco,’ a connection to Latino culture
Franklin D. Roosevelt Elementary has approximately 600 students in grades K-5, many who have relocated to the area and many who are Latino. Some are homeless, Tegethoff said.
She said having Coco has helped her connect more with the school’s Latino population, after students voted to name her after the title character in the 2017 Disney movie, “Coco,” which is set in a fictional town in Mexico.
“Kids would tell me, ‘I have a grandma or an aunt named Coco,’ and then they would tell me about their games and what they were doing at home,” the principal said. “It really taught me that there was a whole section of students that I had not been able to bridge in with before.”
Idaho school follows Nampa model’s footsteps
At least one other Idaho school has followed in Franklin D. Roosevelt Elementary’s footsteps in adopting a poodle mix pup for students.
Finnigan, known as Finn to students in the Bliss School District, started his role as a school dog in 2020. The district adopted Finn after visiting the Nampa school, Tegethoff said.
His handler, Emily Roe, is a counselor with the district. She brings Finn to sporting events, homecoming assemblies and other school celebrations. She said his presence, being “a friend to all,” has helped the community and its students.
“Finn is known by all the students and roams the hallways and the school grounds,” Roe told the Statesman in an email. “He provides a sense of calmness and compassion, all without saying a word.”
Roe said Finn can immediately recognize when a student is upset, and will approach them to put his face in their lap.
“He knows, and to our students that means a lot,” Roe said.
This story was originally published December 8, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
