Parents frustrated after news support dogs won't return to Kitchener school

Several parents say they are frustrated after news that two support dogs won't return to an elementary school in Kitchener.

Nacho, a yellow lab, and Quessa, a black lab, had been fixtures at Sheppard Public School for the past four years.

"I was shocked, there was no formal communication or transition plan from the school," said Lauren Logan, a parent and school council member.

The two dogs were part of the Canine Assisted Intervention program run by the non-profit group National Service Dogs (NSD). The program began in 2013, and is only one of three in Canada and is the first of its kind in Ontario.

The dogs were brought to Sheppard Public School at no cost to the school and provided comfort and support to students, said Rochelle Barber, Director of Operations at NSD.

"We had never heard feedback from the board that it was anything other than successful and it would keep going forward. We were pretty astounded when they unexpectedly shut the program down," Barber said.

They are officially referred to as facility dogs, which differ from service dogs in that service dogs belong to one person. 

In contrast, facility dogs belong to an organization and are available to all students.

Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) said the program ended "due to a lack of data, making it impossible to assess its performance and impact on students and staff," Associate Director Bill Lemon said in an emailed statement to CBC News.

Lemon also noted that facility dogs do not fit the definition of a service animal as described in the board's governance documentation or under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Madison Kolberg is a parent and co-chair of the parent council at Sheppard Public School. She says data was collected on the dogs.

"There has been no attempt to access the data that was actually collected," Kolberg said, adding the data was collected every week by the school. 

Kolberg provided CBC News with a copy of a blank data sheet that would have been used to collect data every week.

CBC News reached out to WRDSB for a response about the data sheets, but they did not respond in time for publication.

Logan said the dogs had a huge impact on her son. 

"He had a lot of anxiety; he had a lot of trust issues with adults in the school environment," Logan said. "It was those dogs that bridged that gap for him."

The dogs were at the school daily, helping students in various areas.

Kids nervous about reading out loud could read to one of the dogs to build their confidence. 

The dogs were also used to de-escalate volatile situations and act as a reward for good behaviour.

Barber said the WRDSB gave her organization no negative feedback.

Kolberg says the news the program was cut came as a surprise to her.  

"There was no communication from the school or the superintendent," she said. "That was concerning to me with handling questions from my child about where the dogs have gone. I didn't have the ability to answer those questions."

Lemon said in a statement that while members of the school council and the dog's owners were notified, the board will improve communication with school families going forward.

Logan believes the program is being cancelled at a time when it is sorely needed.

"In a time where we are losing resources and struggling with mental health, these dogs provide consistency, comfort and care," she said.

"There's no downside," she continued. "This is a free, no liability program."

Lemon maintains that students' mental health is a fundamental priority to the Waterloo Region District School Board.

In a press release, the Sheppard Public School Council is calling on parents, community members, and local organizations to express support by writing or calling the school board.

Parents and the school council have created an online petition.

They will be presenting the issue to the WRDSB at a board meeting on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. The meeting will take place at the WRDSB Education Centre in Kitchener.