Ella Bender

Allie Glidewell (10) pets Jax, a goldendoodle, during his visit Sept. 7. He was in therapy dog training for two years and still attends weekly classes to practice his skills. “We thought that [therapy dogs] sounded like a really cool opportunity that students would enjoy,” librarian Jennifer Tuttle said.

Three dogs came to Ladue’s library during L2 of seminar Sept. 7. These trained therapy dogs are members of the Love on a Leash program.

“We actually found out about it from a librarians’ conference,” librarian Jennifer Tuttle said. “It’s in the spring. Librarians from all over the state of Missouri share different programming ideas that they have.”

The dogs visited once last spring to ensure that they would be a good fit for Ladue. After that, Tuttle decided to bring the dogs in once a month during L2 of seminar.

“We checked with the administration to make sure that they were on board with it first,” Tuttle said. “They had just a couple of safety concerns and so we got those questions answered from the Love on a Leash people. And then it was just a matter of setting a day and a time.”

Goldendoodle Jax, Norwegian Buhund mix Joey and English Cocker Spaniel Colloway are the dogs that visited. They brought smiles to the faces of the students.

“I just think they’re silly,” junior Hadley Altvater said. “And I love dogs and I have dogs and I worked at an animal camp. I love animals.”

With the stress of the new school year, therapy dogs can provide an escape from that worry. Petting a dog can be calming and lower anxiety levels.

“[This morning,] I was in locked-in mode,” Altvater said. “I was studying really hard and [to be honest] I needed this. I love dogs.”