Brudenell Primary School

In the new year 2020, we had a special guest who came into school. Bonnie is a Cockapoo puppy who joined the Harland family at Christmas 2019. She had been chosen to be their family dog and following discussions with governors and staff, we welcolmed her to Brudenell Primary School as our school dog. 

There is a great deal of research and evidence that shows how a ‘school pet’ can offer comfort, support and empathy to pupils and an increasing number of schools are seeing the benefits of a school dog. 

Cockapoos are by nature gentle and friendly creatures, whose intelligence makes them excellent assistance dogs and when we met Bonnie’s family we selected her for her gentle, calm and affectionate personality. She is also a hypoallergenic dog which means that she is of a breed that does well with allergy sufferers. These dogs have a predictable, non-shedding coat which produces less dander, which is the cause of most pet allergies in humans.

When she is at a suitable age we hope for Bonnie to complete dog training and plan for her to be assessed by the Therapy Dogs charity but she does need to familiarise herself with our school prior to this. The children also need to have an opportunity to meet her before she becomes a regular visitor. So at this early stage, Bonnie will be mainly familiarising herself with the school and will spend most of her time in the head teacher’s office. Dogs work successfully in school for a number of reasons and it is hoped that Bonnie will support children and their work in a number of ways – listening to reading, giving companionship, building self-esteem, confidence and general well-being.

All parents have completed the parental permission form for their children to have supervised contact with Bonnie when she starts school properly.  We would also like to have information concerning any dog allergies or fears your child might have. Bonnie will NOT be taken off her lead, will be supervised at all stages and will NOT be near children if they do not wish.

PLEASE NOTE: Bonnie will be classed as a working dog with permission from the local authority, Health and Safety and Governors to be in school. 

We will send out further information on Bonnie’s progress and details of her role in the future. We hope that children from the school will gain a great deal of enjoyment from having a school dog and that Bonnie becomes a welcome addition to our school.