'Giant' therapy dog shepherded North Jersey school through pandemic

When the kindergartners at Sandyston-Walpack Elementary School first saw Tyler, they thought a polar bear had come to visit.

At 151 pounds, the silky-haired, creamy-white, Great Pyrenees therapy dog comes close. He is a “gentle giant,” said Principal Harold Abraham. Tyler, who Abraham said is bigger than any child in the building, began visiting the school during the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020.

What started as a therapy-dog reading program at the small K-6 school in rural Sussex County has now become part of the regular school day. The school was even featured on national television.

Sandyston parent Rosalynn McEvilly said Tyler changed things for her family as they tried to find their footing during the pandemic. Her husband lost his job in New York City during the lockdown. Emma, their eldest who is in fifth grade, was old enough to understand what that meant. The schools shutting down did not make it any easier, said Rosalynn, who also has two younger children, one in preschool and the other in kindergarten.

“It impacted the whole family,” said Roselynn. She reached out to the school to report that Emma appeared sad – especially after schools closed and she was unable to meet the friends who made up her support system.

A therapy dog might have been a blip on the radar for some of the larger schools, said McEvilly, but for her family, it was key.

“In all this darkness, this negativity — Tyler came in — and all the kids were super excited,” said McEvilly. “Even my younger ones would come home and say, guess what, I saw Tyler today.”

For Emma, Tyler’s “big and fluffy” presence meant her rural community mattered. “Our town overall is very small, so just him coming to our school made me and my class feel really special.”

Abraham decided to try a therapy dog after juggling out-of-the-box ideas on creating ways for students to learn and feel better during the pandemic. He approached a local therapy-dog training agency, Bright and Beautiful, which advertised on the school’s behalf. Abraham said he was surprised at the number of responses he received. The school eventually settled with Tyler, and his owner, John Coco, who rescued him.

The therapy-dog program at Sandyston began with a pilot program for the school’s special education students. Abraham said he saw an immediate increase in the motivation and love for learning among the school's most delicate learners.

“There are so many studies that show how much additional comfort an animal can provide to humans. Any educator who thinks outside the box would think of how to bring that idea into the school in a safe and learning conducive way,” said Abraham.

In June, after Tyler was featured on a local news program, 40 schools reached out to the school asking how they could create their own programs.

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Abraham said this was because Tyler’s role in the school was more than just a pet that provides comfort; he was woven into classroom activity and instruction.

At Sandyston-Walpack, Tyler is taken into the classroom at specific times and his services are built into the reading and writing curriculum, said Abraham. When individual students accomplish academic goals that have been set for them, they are allowed to walk the dog and read to him. “It’s not an interruption to curriculum, it fits right into it,” said Abraham.

Bringing Tyler into classrooms and counseling sessions, said Abraham, helps children build on the positive. His presence calms and helps the children work toward changing behaviors. And for the staff and teachers, who have also suffered from pandemic-related stress, he has been more than just a silent assistant.

“I think they enjoy it equally, as much as the kids,” said Abraham. Tyler has been assigned a staff ID tag which he wears around his neck. He was part of the fifth-grade graduation in spring, though he did not toss his hat.

“The children flock to him,” said Abraham. “It’s been a big hit here – a definite culture-builder.” School attendance is high, and kids run out of their cars into the school in the morning when they are greeted by staff members at the door, with Tyler by their side.

Tyler’s handler is a commercial bee-keeper who runs a 10-acre farm in Wantage with his wife. The idea to train Tyler as a therapy dog came from his late father-in-law would tell him: "John – find a way to give back to the community.” After being certified at Bright and Beautiful, Tyler’s career as a therapy dog took off.

“I’ve been in hospitals, nursing homes, I was all over the place with Tyler at one time. To see these children with Tyler, and how well they’re doing, it’s very heartwarming,” said Coco, who volunteers his time wherever his services are needed, including at the elementary school.

The non-judgmental softness has won Tyler more popularity than Coco could have imagined. He was wooed by several other schools after his television appearances working at the elementary school – but Coco chose to stay with the children of Sandyston.

Sandyston, he said, is like a big family.

That choice meant a whole lot to Emma, who recalled the day the principal told her class that Tyler would be staying on despite being invited to work at a larger school in the area.

“He turned it down to stay at our small school,” Roselynn recalls her daughter telling her. “That made her so proud.”

For all of Tyler’s good work during the week, his weekends aren’t free either. Coco was chaperoning Tyler to a Christmas party Friday night. “I don’t know who's going to be there,” he said, laughing, “Tyler gets invited to a lot of places.”

Mary Ann Koruth covers education for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news about New Jersey's schools and how it affects your children, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: koruthm@northjersey.com

Twitter: @MaryAnnKoruth

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sandyston-Walpack school therapy dog now integral part of day