In September 2024, SMUS welcomed a unique new member of faculty to the school. And though he has never opened a textbook, played or coached a sport, or shown any promise in academia, he has already become one of the most recognizable figures on campus. We are speaking of course of Radar, a three year old labrador retriever who comes to us through the generosity of the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society. Radar is an accredited facility dog, dogs trained to work in public institutions such as hospitals or schools and whose purpose is to improve the well-being both of individuals and of the community in which they are placed.
Radar’s new job in the counselling department in part emerged from a long-standing curiosity of how we might make counselling less intimidating and therefore more accessible to a broader range of students. For many students, coming to see a counsellor for the first time takes varying measures of fortitude, vulnerability and trust, and having a dog in our counselling spaces and our school, we hope, might offer a setting that feels just a little more familiar or welcoming. Around and about campus, too, each time a student comes up to pet him or throw him his ball, Radar provides an opportunity for a student to strike up a conversation with a counsellor that may in turn prove the impetus that’s needed for a later visit to our offices.
Radar is also proving his worth in terms of the sense of calm he provides. Perhaps one of the most common instances we encounter in the counselling offices is students who are feeling emotionally dysregulated. As many of you who are pet owners or animal lovers already know, physical contact with animals can cause the release of the neurotransmitter oxytocin, which in turn lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. On a more practical level, you can see firsthand the calming presence Radar has on students who might be feeling anger, sadness, anxiety, or any variety of emotions. Regardless of their emotional state when they show up, Radar will often greet a student at my door with a toy, and then either sit at their feet or next to them while they pet him. In the process, students are re-regulating, bringing themselves back to a state of emotional equilibrium. While this in itself is an obvious benefit to their health, it also means students are able to get back to the classroom, the sports field, or the music room, and rejoin other activities integral to their well-being, like interacting with their peers, engaging a curiosity or interest, and learning.
Since he has been here, Radar has been busy meeting lots of new people, students and faculty alike. He can often be found out and about on the senior school campus, but we have also taken time to introduce him to the students at both middle and junior school schools. He has made some timely drop-ins at stress invoking moments, such as the middle school vaccination clinics, senior school exams, and new student orientation. Wherever he goes, he is met by curiosity, lots of questions, and smiles. As one student recently remarked to me, “Having a dog at school, ironically, makes this place a bit more human!”
In a very short time he has already become a much-loved member of the school community, and we look forward to enjoying all the benefits, all the humanity he continues to bring over his tenure here.
Chris Webster
