Anna, Troy High School's therapy dog, settles in

“I joke that when I was a kid, my mom would put a pork chop around my neck to get the dog to play with me, and now the principal has put a dog around my neck to get the kids to play with me.”

So said Troy High School’s school counselor Kelly Palmer with a shrug and a grin as he sat in his office with his golden Labrador, Anna, the school’s new therapy dog, who was asleep in her bed in the corner.

After two weeks with Palmer Anna has settled into school life readily, the result of her intensive training to become a therapy dog which took place at Carroll College anthrozoology department in Helena.

Anna was trained by Breanna Caldwell, a student who worked with Anna from August 2016 until her recent transfer to Troy.

The health benefits of being with animals are widely reported, both empirically and institutionally. The head of the anthrozoology department which trained Anna, Dr. Ann Perkins, has a TED Talk on the matter for those who are interested in learning more.

According to Palmer, the effects of having a school dog are already noticeable and resoundingly positive.

“Kids who usually don’t come to my office will stop by to pat Anna now,” he said. “It’s helpful with kids who are very shy or introverted. What she usually does when someone is in my office is go and stand by them and if they pet her at that point, she will just melt into them and slide onto the floor.”

The idea is that the physical interaction with the dog, and her calm presence, help upset or stressed kids be calm, too, and to provide a focal point outside of social interactions between humans.

Life in a school can be noisy and busy but Palmer says the intent is to have her be able to go everywhere with him.

“Her training includes being tolerant of all kinds of rough handling and noise so she stays calm in busy halls,” he said.

Having the dog at work with him was a key point in Palmer’s decision to take Anna on.

“I lost my dog, Koda, in October of 2015 and last summer my kids offered to get me a puppy. I just wasn’t ready,” he said. “I didn’t think it was fair anyway to have a puppy at home all day while [my wife] Jeanie and I were at work.”

But in late winter this year Principal Jacob Francom brought up the idea of Palmer taking on a dog as both a school dog and Palmer’s personal dog.

“Jake brought it up as a possibility and at first I thought ‘no way,’” Palmer said. “But when I asked him how often he wanted the dog at school, his answer was ‘I want the dog in school all day every day’ and that’s when I thought maybe it could work.”

After checking with the school’s insurance policy and notifying all the parents for comment, Anna was approved.

As Palmer recently walked Anna down the hall and into a photography class, students called out “Hi, Anna” and petted her as she walks past.

“We like the dog,” said Montana Rice, who then gestured to her black pants. “But she sheds a lot.”