Therapy dog comes to Wired2Learn Academy
Sadie Bean is a therapy dog at Wired2Learn Academy. The Post Falls school serves students in grades 3 through 12 who have learning struggles like dyslexia.
Courtesy photo
Wired2Learn Academy’s therapy dog, Sadie Bean, watches over students Antonio LoBue, Ethan Hime and Aliana LoBue in the school’s Cognitive Classroom. Students in the class work on exercises to work areas of the brain that cause learning disabilities.
Sadie Bean, a therapy dog at Wired2Learn Academy, cuddles with student Aubrey Eirls.
POST FALLS — Before there’s any visible sign that a student is upset, Sadie Bean can detect their anxiety.
Sensitive cues like a shaking leg or fidgeting tell her a student is in distress.
That’s when the English lab springs into action. The therapy dog at Post Falls’ Wired2Learn Academy will make her way to upset students, place her head in their lap and nudge them with her nose until they pet her. The interaction has a calming effect.
“We’ve been doing outside-of-the-box therapy with our students since the beginning and we know how therapeutic animals can be,” said Wired2Learn Academy Director Alyssa Pukkila. When the equine therapy provider the school was working with retired, the school launched a fundraiser and submitted a grant seeking funding support for a therapy dog.
The Wired2Learn Foundation, which provides support to children in the community with learning disabilities, recently provided more than $3,000 toward Sadie Bean’s care and specialized training. Wired2Learn Academy serves students in grades 3 through 12 who have learning struggles, like dyslexia.
“A lot of our students struggle with PTSD and anxiety,” Pukkila said. “We can’t tell immediately by looking at them that their heart rate is raised or they’re starting to perspire. Sadie Bean has seen a student upset and on her own gone and sat with them. She does a lot intuitively.”
The 11-month-old puppy is still in training to become a Certified Therapy Dog. Students are working side-by-side with a licensed trainer to help Sadie Bean learn the skills she needs. When fully trained, Sadie Bean will be able to discern when students exhibit even subtle symptoms of anxiety.
The dog provides more than comfort for students. Having Sadie Bean at the school has encouraged students to socialize more, improved communications and even helped students with speech and emotional disorders.
Student Axxel Stolley said Sadie Bean helps him with emotional support.
“Recently, I have had a lot of bad days and she seems to sense when things aren’t going well,” Stolley said. “She seems to sense when things aren’t going well, and she comes to us and lets us love on her. She is here for us at all times.”
Classmate Jorja Simona said Sadie Bean always finds her when she is in a bad mood.
“Especially when you don’t want to talk to another person, Sadie is just there to be with me,” Simona said.
Though the Wired2Learn Foundation’s grant covered much of the initial expenses for Sadie Bean, additional funds are needed for ongoing training, food and veterinary care. To learn more or donate, visit www.w2lfoundation.com.
