Walk into Key College in Redfern on a Wednesday morning and you’ll meet Moose the labradoodle, affectionately nicknamed ‘Mr. Moose’ by students.
Moose is the school’s wellbeing dog and has been attending Key College – one of Youth Off The Streets’ seven alternative high schools – every week for more than two years.
His owner and handler, Key College teacher Taylor Harvey, was inspired to bring him to school after seeing the therapeutic effects animals can have on people.
“I had a service animal back home in Canada that worked at a palliative care unit for a veteran’s hospital,” she says. “Knowing what these young people have gone through, I know the difference a dog can make in someone’s life, especially in a teenager who has difficulty expressing their feelings or asking for support.”
The benefits of Moose’s presence on students are clear.
“The biggest thing is autonomy,” says Taylor. “Students feel a sense of responsibility and independence when Moose is present.”
Taylor says students regularly take the initiative when it comes to Moose’s wellbeing, taking him for walks around the block, introducing him to members of the community and paying close attention to his needs.
“I had a student today notice Moose inching towards the door and say, ‘I’m just going to take Moose out for a quick toilet break because it looks like he needs one’,” says Taylor. “They’ve become really attentive to all of his cues. They take pride in making him happy, which creates this friendly environment where everyone plays for the same team.”
While students help care for Moose, his wellbeing remains Taylor’s responsibility.
“I check in with him throughout the day and, if anything seems awry, I’ll take him home, take him outside or find a space where he can be alone,” she says.
Moose’s presence during class also helps provide brain breaks for students.
“He gives students the opportunity to give him a scratch or throw his tennis ball a few feet away,” says Taylor. “It’s a really good way to keep students present and actively listening.”
Supporting emotional regulation
Many students at Youth Off The Streets schools have experiences of trauma that affect their learning, relationships and ability to feel safe in a school environment.
“When young people first arrive at Key College, many have disrupted attachment styles, extreme hypervigilance and low or no trust in adults or institutions,” says Taylor. “Many also come to us with a lack of understanding or awareness as to how to internally regulate themselves.”
Moose, she says, helps address many of these challenges.
“He acts as a reliable, safe presence,” she says. “Moose doesn’t care where you were last night or how you presented during the maths exam that stressed you out. He will show up and lick your face every single time he sees you.”
“That consistency and non-judgement is something that students really benefit from.”
Having an animal in the classroom, particularly one with Moose’s calm temperament, also helps students emotionally regulate.
“Moose being present in the space means that the students are so much more aware of their behaviours, their noise level and how they impact the environment around them,” says Taylor.
“When a young person is quite heightened or angry, they’re more reflective of their behaviour because of the potential impact on Moose, where they wouldn’t necessarily consider those things if they were just surrounded by staff and students,” says Taylor.
While other therapeutic interventions in a school setting, such as counselling, require some level of vulnerability and courage, having a wellbeing dog allows students to regulate their emotions without that.
“Students get this extra intervention they can benefit from without having to do any of the hard work.”
Building confidence through connection
Part of the reason Moose has such an important impact on students is that many of them do not usually have access to animals.
“I had a student last week say how grateful she was to have access to a dog at school as she doesn’t have that in her personal life living in out-of-home care,” says Taylor.
“Many of the students at Key don’t have a dog or any kind of pet, usually because they’re in out-of-home care or a youth refuge where they don’t have a lot of ownership over these things.”
For young people who have experienced trauma, positive interactions with animals can help regulate the nervous system, provide sensory-based connection, build a sense of emotional safety without needing words and support young people with disrupted attachment by offering a consistent, neutral presence. The moments of joy and playful interaction also allow young people to learn they don’t always need to be on high alert.
For some students, having Moose at school can also help them become more comfortable around animals.
“We take it slowly with small interactions and introduce him in ways that make them feel safe,” says Taylor. “Even apprehensive students have shown a lot of skill-building and social awareness because they get to face those fears in a really safe, structured and supported environment.”
Through interacting with Moose, students are not only finding comfort and companionship. They’re also building confidence, developing new skills and experiencing the kind of consistent, non-judgemental support that every young person deserves.
