Our Journey
The impact of therapy animals is a familiar concept in the Absecon Public School District for staff, students and the community. As the chairman of the board for the Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP), a national organization and a subsidiary of Pet Partners, Superintendent Dr. Dooley is well versed in the benefits of the animal-human bond and the positive impact therapy animals can have in schools. He has given numerous presentations on the implementation of therapy animals in schools, has been brought in as an expert witness for the New Jersey State Assembly on the benefits of therapy animals, and appeared in February 2026 as a guest speaker on the Get Inspired with Dr. Barb podcast with Dr. Barbara Vokatis.
Desiring to expand upon the success of our existing Therapy Dog program with Skye and Hope, Absecon Public Schools decided to create the Therapy Animal Farm to provide additional support for our students' continuously evolving needs.
Stakeholders first met in the fall of 2025 to conceptualize what a Therapy Animal Farm could look like in a public school district. From there, the idea has blossomed into a reality as we welcomed two Nigerian dwarf goats and two babydoll sheep in May 2026, which are housed in a spacious courtyard area on our campus.
Our staff has received training on the care and upkeep of the animals and members of our Child Study Team and other staff volunteers are receiving additional training from the experts at Green Chimneys school in Brewster, New York and ROOTS at Evergreen Grove in Gardner, Massachusetts on the therapeutic use of farm animals in a school environment; they are currently developing programming and curricula to support these efforts.
Thanks to the generous support of our partners: Absecon Veterinary Hospital, Straight Shot Farm in Egg Harbor City, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Green Chimneys, ROOTS at Evergreen Grove Pet Partners, and AAAIP, and the financial support from grants through AtlantiCare and the Charlotte Helen Bacon Foundation, we have been able to create a program, at no cost to taxpayers, which we hope continues to build on the benefits of the animal-human bond in our efforts to best serve our learning community.