Dr. Dooley offers expert testimony in support of Pet Therapy legislation before Assembly Education Committee in Trenton
TRENTON — Absecon Superintendent Dr. Dooley served as an expert witness at the New Jersey Assembly Education Committee in Trenton when it met last week to discuss Pet Therapy in Schools bill A-1165, a bipartisan bill that would establish a three-year pilot program to evaluate the academic and social and emotional benefits for students of the use of therapy dogs in elementary schools.
“I was honored to share my expertise in school-based animal therapy programs and the successes we've achieved with our therapy dogs, Skye and Hope, at Absecon Public Schools, as well as in my previous district, Commercial Township,” said Dr. Dooley. “As a proud advocate for the use of therapy animals with students, I strongly support the well-documented academic, social, and emotional benefits. I am pleased to support legislation that advances the implementation of therapy animal programs statewide, with the hope that more children will benefit from the Animal-Human Bond.”
With more than a decade of experience under his belt following his creation of a trailblazing therapy dog program at Commercial Township, Dr. Dooley has amassed a wealth of knowledge in the field of pet therapy. Since this therapy dog program began in 2015, Dr. Dooley has mentored over 100 schools throughout the country in the implementation and use of therapy animals. He is a founding member of Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP), an affiliate organization for animal-assisted intervention in a professional setting, and has served as the Chairperson of AAAIP since 2020. Dr. Dooley has shared his expertise through countless local and national presentations to boards and organizations including the New Jersey Association of Federal Grant Program Administrators, New Jersey School Librarians Association, and twice to both the New Jersey School Boards Workshop in Atlantic City and the National Dog Show Therapy Dog Symposium at Rowan University.
At Thursday’s Assembly meeting, Dr. Dooley testified along with Scott Woodside, Assistant Vice President for Community Health and Well-being at Rowan University, and Michele Pich, Assistant Director of the Shreiber Family Pet Therapy Program at Rowan University, on the research-backed benefits of therapy animals in schools and was able to present data collected from Absecon Schools on the benefits our own students experienced as a result of our pet therapy program.
Research has shown that the use of therapy animals in schools can lead to increased academic performance, as well as an increase in confidence of students and increased positive attitudes.
Through its own data collection, Absecon has found a strong correlation between the use of therapy dogs and academic achievement. In the 2019-2020 school year, 41% of Absecon’s first and second grade students met or exceeded reading achievement expectations from September to January. Of those students, 83% participated weekly in the S.M.I.L.E. program. Currently, students whose behavior plans include the therapy animals are three times more likely to reach their behavior goals and the use of therapy animals in de-escalation situations has led to an 85% reduction in de-escalation time. The average de-escalation duration has been reduced by 14.65 minutes when a therapy dog is present.
Absecon’s Therapy Dog program includes the Silent Mentors In Literacy Education Program or S.M.I.L.E., as well as use in student counseling sessions, physical therapy, and Autism and self-contained classrooms, reward incentives, and as an integral part of our Reset Rooms, which are supported by the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).
As a result of his testimony, bill sponsor Assemblywoman Carol Murphy has committed to visit Absecon Public Schools to view the therapy dog program here.
