'There is no closure': Parents shocked after WRDSB pulls support dog program without notice

Parents are speaking out after a beloved support dog program was cut from Sheppard Public School in Kitchener.

In 2020, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) partnered with National Service Dogs (NSD) to open its Canine Assisted Intervention program at the school.

Nacho and Quessa, two trained facility dogs, were made available to anyone experiencing distress, dysregulation or discomfort. NSD says Quessa had been visiting the school since 2017.

“When kids are either dysregulated or anxious [the dogs] come over to their lap and they can sit with them,” said Rochelle Barber NSD director of operations.

Lauren Logan has three neurodivergent children attending Sheppard Public School. She said she enrolled her kids at the school because it was the only one in the area with facility dogs on site.

“The dogs were actually one of the main reasons that we were able to get [my son] to school because he had so much anxiety,” Logan told CTV News.

Students and parents expected to see the dogs return for another school year, but when the semester began the dogs weren’t there.

“To take away a support, to take away a dog, and to not say anything is just cruel,” Logan said. “There is no goodbye. There is no closure.”

NSD said the school board’s decision came down to conflicting policies on the use of service dogs.

In a statement to CTV News the WRDSB Associate Director Bill Lemon said:

“The facility dog pilot project at Sheppard Public School was ended due to a lack of data, making it impossible to assess its performance and impact on students and staff. This challenge was compounded by the lack of a sustainable plan for the project going forward.”

Barber said data was being collected the whole time.

“Data was tracked every week about how many instances of support the dogs provided, how many times they went and did an intervention with a child,” Barber said. “The data support a need for a dog.”

Madison Kolberg said her daughter relied on the program while at school. Now that it’s gone, she worries for other children who won’t get the support her daughter received.

“We’re willing to work hard to not only help our kids with adjustment but other kids who are in a similar space,” Kolberg said.

An online petition has already collected over 100 signatures calling on the school board to bring the dogs back.

Parents will also present to the school board Nov. 11, asking to reopen the program.

In the meantime, Nacho and Quessa are at home without a place to work. Barber said they still get excited each time they walk past the school.

“They love to work. They love to be with the kids,” Barber said