Meet Millie, working her magic in the classroom

By Ruby Pound

Therapy and well-being dogs are making a difference in courts and workplaces across Australia — and schools are also turning to four-legged counsellors for help.

St Columba’s College, an all-girls senior school, is among those that have taken the step —- with Millie the Cobberdog coming onto campus to boost student morale and foster a stronger sense of community.

Millie, the. well-being dog making a difference at St Columbas in Essendon. Photo: Instagram

In an Instagram post, the college wrote: “We've brought Millie on board to be our four-legged friend and wellbeing ambassador." 

Millie’s breed has been developed to be highly trainable, and her role will involve moving between classrooms and receiving plenty of attention from students.

“Millie's role is just to be gorgeous and make people happy.” Deputy Principal Brigette McDonald says.

Wellbeing dogs have so far been a successful strategy for primary schools. “They use well-being dogs as a real tool for those little school refusers. Millie's waiting for you. You can come and spend the morning with Millie,” Ms McDonald says.

Research shows that being around a dog can reduce anxiety, even decrease heart rate and manage physiological responses to stress. Ms McDonald says how diagnoses of mental health concerns have been on the rise for students.

“Post-COVID, we've certainly seen a decline in their ability to bounce back from adversity, and there's adversity every day.” she said.

The college has been trying multiple strategies to improve the mental health of their students, including introducing a social worker and speech therapist to campus. 

“It's like having a boat with a million holes in it and trying to plug up the holes. I’m not expecting miraculous results in the short term, but I really hope in the long-term that we'll see more and more students who've been impacted positively by her being with us. 

“It's about empathy. It's those incidental lessons that are teaching some great social and emotional skills. So if nothing else, it's doing that.” 

The college has been working in collaboration with Dogs Connect, a Victorian organisation that helps introduce trained well-being dogs into formal settings, such as workplaces, schools and hospitals.