Introducing Harlow

We are very excited to announce that Harlow, a certified therapy dog, had his first day at school on Tuesday. Harlow, a six-month-old Golden Retriever, is assisting Bonnie, our Psychologist, to improve students’ wellbeing. Harlow had a fantastic first day! He was exhausted by the end of the day, but loved meeting so many new people and having so many pats. Harlow completed an intensive Animal-Assisted Intervention and Therapy Dog Certification through Lead the Way and Alpha Canine Professionals in Melbourne last month. Although he was the youngest dog in the group, he passed with flying colours and showed how much he genuinely loves people!

The use of therapy dogs is becoming widely recognised, particularly in relation to improving depression in adolescents, low self-esteem, emotional recognition and regulation, anger management, self-confidence and interpersonal skills. We are excited to incorporate this innovative way to improve students’ wellbeing into our school.