First Graders Foster Shy Puppies in the Classroom & It’s Nothing Like You’ve Ever Seen
Fostering a scared puppy is one of those rewarding experiences that change you in ways you never imagined. One Delaware teacher has taken her love for fostering to a different level, and it’s nothing short of life-changing. Brooke Hughes, a first-grade teacher at Hanby Elementary School, runs a foster puppy program that involves bringing scared rescue puppies into the classroom.
The program, Foster Tales Puppy Therapy, gives anxious puppies a chance to decompress as they interact and bond with first graders in the classroom. Thanks to the program, these puppies transform into sociable, confident pups with vibrant personalities that enable them to thrive in real homes. The school launched the program after the COVID-19 pandemic, and ever since, countless puppies have found forever homes through it. (Watch Video Below)
@fostertalespt In one day these pups went from shaking in a crate to asking for belly rubs ♥️🐾 #fosteringsaveslives #foster #puppy #classroompuppies #fostertales @therileyrescue ♬ Opalite – Taylor Swift
A One-of-a-Kind Program
As shared on Hughes’ TikTok account @fostertalespt, it’s not just the scared puppies that benefit. Her students, too, are positively impacted by the program.
According to Hughes, petting adorable puppies in class helps shy students feel calmer and more confident to participate in learning activities. Hughes’s classroom has become a safe space where nervous students can perfect their reading skills by reading books out loud to the furry listeners curled on their laps.
Through this program, the first graders also learn important life skills such as patience, empathy, responsibility, and kindness as they comfort the puppies that seek them out. These students have grown so used to having foster puppies in their class that they now can’t imagine learning without them.
And while many may assume that the classroom is often chaotic with puppies around, this isn’t the case. Being surrounded by the gentle love and touch of these first graders calms the puppies, allowing the students to stay focused without major distractions. In fact, most times, you’ll find the students enjoying their learning as the puppies nap beside them.
What’s even more amazing is that the bond between the puppies and students doesn’t end in the classroom setting. During their free time, these first graders often take walks and play with the puppies outside the classroom, further improving the pups’ socialization skills.
The best part about this program is that most puppies quickly find forever homes. Recently, one of the foster puppies, Dusty, was adopted by his favorite student’s family after just two weeks of being in the classroom.
How You Can Get Involved
Most of the puppies in Hughes’s class are pups pulled from overcrowded local animal rescues and shelters. So, not only does her program come through for potentially overlooked puppies, but it also helps free up space in congested facilities so that other needy dogs out there can be taken in.
Hughes says the best way people can support this program and keep it thriving is by donating toward buying essential supplies for the puppies and the students. These supplies normally include dog food storage containers, chew toys, play pens, blankets, and reading resources.
“Your generous donations help provide essential supplies for both our incredible students and the rescue puppies who visit our classroom. Every item brings us one step closer to building confident readers, compassionate hearts, and forever homes,” Hughes captioned on another TikTok video.
Hughes hopes her program inspires more schools to consider integrating foster puppies into the classroom, given its wide range of benefits. The good news? She offers guidance to other schools on how to implement an effective foster puppy therapy program, as revealed through her website www.fostertalespuppytherapy.com. So, if you’re interested in reaping the benefits of bringing some furry magic into your classrooms, we highly recommend giving this type of program a chance.
