TINTON FALLS, N.J. (PIX11) — School can be hard – but loving Remy and Magic is elementary.
Rosemary Laubach is their handler, and over the course of four decades, she has seen the impact therapy dogs can have on kids at school.
“I would love to see therapy dogs in every school,” said Laubach.
When Remy and Magic aren’t helping to train other dogs at Bayshore Companion Dog Club in Tinton Falls, they’re spending time with students in the classrooms of Old Bridge Public Schools.
Laubach said therapy dogs can relieve anxiety, teach social skills and impulse control, and give kids something to look forward to.
“[Students will] do things for the dog they won’t do for humans,” said Laubach.
A new bill in Trenton looks to get the ball rolling on getting more furry friends like Remy and Magic into schools.
S1253 would allow the Department of Education to select two school districts each from North, Central, and South Jersey to participate in the three-year pilot program, where data will be collected on the dogs’ impact on the kids, which lawmakers expect would be positive.