Animal Assisted Intervention was traditionally seen as either Therapy or Activities but international umbrella organisations (IAHAIO, AAII) now define Animal Assisted Education/Pedagogy (AAE) as a third distinct type. AAE has cognitive or developmental goals, is guided by professional pedagogical knowledge plus special knowledge of the animal’s needs, is conducted with high attention to the safety and welfare of all involved, and the activities are documented and evaluated.
Among dog-based AAE-programmes for primary school, strong evidence remains to be seen but reviews support beneficial effects of Reading Dog-programmes and maybe other programmes, e.g., P.A.C.K for children with ADHD, Sozialtraining in der Schule for inclusive classrooms, and some Humane Education programmes.
In Denmark - as possibly elsewhere - the idea of ”school dogs” is increasingly promoted by popular media but no one knew how wide-spread such practices had become, and there was no discussion about correspondence between current use and what international research and best practice standards would suggest.
To start addressing this gap, we contacted 392 Danish schools representing three different regions: NJ where a “school dog” has achieved much media coverage; Copenhagen (the capitol), and an intermediate region. Across regions, 259 schools (66%) answered a short telephone query and 10% confirmed to use dogs. NJ had the highest response rate (74% vs 59-65%), the highest frequency of using dogs (16% vs 5-9%), and the highest frequency of considered it when not doing it already (7% vs 2-3%).
Both standard and special needs classes used dogs. For both, these were predominantly “hygge”-dogs, that is, with the expectation of an improved atmosphere but no particular plan or evaluation of impact. Schools rarely used Reading Dogs, and no schools used other intervention programmes. At least half of the dogs/equipages had no specialized training.
Compared to international definitions, research and best practice standards for AAE, Reading Dogs seem under-used in Danish schools, non-specific “hygge”-dogs seem overused, and too little attention is given to goals, evaluation and welfare. Results also suggest that popular media may be important players, and we may need a deliberate media strategy to push practice from underground to Animal Assisted Education.