The Calais School announces, with heartfelt appreciation, the retirement of Star, a beloved and dedicated therapy dog. For the past four years, our Black Labrador Retriever has been an essential part of our award winning therapy dog program.

Upon joining The Calais School therapy dog team, Star and her handler, Lori Kertesz underwent extensive training to prepare for the clinical and emotional situations that can arise in a school environment. Like all Calais therapy dogs and therapy dog handlers, they were trained in The Calais Method, a proprietary technique for integrating therapy dogs at school to work with students as they reach emotional, behavioral and academic goals. 

Throughout Star’s four-year career at Calais, a typical workday consisted of occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, reading remediation, BARK (Be A Reading Kid) and counseling sessions, as well as morning or afternoon bus greetings.

Tiffany Shevchik, Calais School Animal Assisted Interventions Coordinator speaks to the value Star brought to the school, “Star’s gentle presence coupled with her ability to take part in various tasks in sessions provided many students with academic, emotional, and social benefits.”

While at Calais, Star and Ms. Kertesz worked alongside therapists, counselors and teachers to help students overcome challenges and build self-esteem. Star’s calm and confident presence during counseling sessions and related services significantly helped reduce student anxiety while improving motivation, emotional regulation, and peer relationships.