Commentary: Yes, RMHS Needs A Second Comfort Dog

Cooper is Good. Two Coopers is Better.

Carter Learned ('23), Orbit Contributor
December 14, 2022

The halls are completely silent. You have just failed a test and are feeling down about yourself. Then you hear the squeaking of a dog toy and you see the lovable Cooper, and all that sadness goes away.

Ever since he waddled in the door almost two years ago, RMHS has welcomed him with open arms, and maybe a couple treats. Cooper has become someone that the community loves, and some people have come to depend on him. School Resource Officer Lewis has received more attention from students due to his connection to Cooper and his willingness to allow the students to interact with the comfort dog.

And not only the students benefit from Cooper’s presence. Cooper inspires a feeling of community that brings the students and the faculty and staff closer together. Some people might not have talked to Officer Lewis before, but having Cooper around allows more students to connect with Officer Lewis and to start a conversation. I believe that bringing in a comfort dog is one of the smartest decisions the school has ever made.

My proposal is this: with all the good that Cooper has brought to the school, the school could benefit even more from having a second comfort dog.

Now one might be thinking that having two dogs might be excessive and become a distraction. Plus, who is going to look after the second dog? Yes, there are a lot of questions and uncertainties. But if the school truly cares about mental health and wants to make everyone feel welcomed and cared for, another comfort dog is the next step. The school has about 1,200 kids but only one comfort dog. How many kids can interact with him and truly reap the benefits? Cooper has done a great job, but he cannot do it alone. Having a second dog “monitoring” the halls allows them to cover double the area that Cooper could alone. While the school district might also have Rusty, he is usually working at the middle schools and does not have much time to visit RMHS.

According to The Alliance of Therapy Dogs ,“therapy dogs help children learn social skills, preventing social isolation. Interaction with therapy dogs has also been found to cause a social catalyst effect, and this further helps improve the stimulation of social behavior.” Cooper fills this role perfectly at RMHS. The number of people I see interacting with Officer Lewis and Cooper everyday is too many to count. There are plenty of people that are shy and sometimes might feel socially isolated, and having a comfort dog makes the day that much easier.

Now, you might be thinking where does it end? Why not just have ten dogs running around the school? That’s not what I’m arguing. But what the school could use is another service dog like Cooper. In a time where schools are very focused on the mental health of students, RMHS would be foolish not to look into getting another comfort dog. If the goal is to make the school more inclusive to everyone and to make RMHS feel more welcoming, then bringing in a second comfort dog is the next step the school needs to take.