PENDLETON — On Thursdays there are a few more smiles and a lot less stress at East Elementary School.

A new program at the school has brought in a couple of special assistants to aid in helping students deal with difficult situations that occur throughout their school day.

It’s a job for Charlie Brown and Winn Dixie, two goldendoodles, owned by fifth- and sixth-grade teacher Robin Hart.

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A recreational therapist at St. Vincent Hospital’s Youth Stress Center before becoming a school teacher, Hart had seen the importance of social and emotional health for struggling kids, and how support dogs can be helpful.

Hart and fellow educators Jill Amrine, Laura Sommerville and Jen Marcum, along with school counselor Leslie Davis, became a part of a new committee, Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS).

The group started looking into student mental health and social and emotional behavior.

Through meetings and reading articles, they learned more about the dogs and how they have been successful in helping children.

Then, last year, Hart shared with Principal Andrew Kruer research that shows therapy dogs help reduce student anxiety and stress and improve school attendance.

“We started that committee, and we were looking at students’ mental health and social, emotional behavioral studies,” Hart said. “I said, ‘Mr. Kruer, we need therapy dogs in our school.’

“I kept begging him, daily, weekly, monthly. He wasn’t against it. He just needed to process it.”

Kruer wanted to be certain it was the right thing for the school. He sent emails out to the children’s parents to let them know of the plan to start the program, which runs once a week.

He wanted it to be a good experience for all of the students.

“We shared with parents before we started that this was what we were getting ready to do,” Kruer said. “There may be students in the building that have an aversion to dogs or who may have different, strong allergies. We encouraged parents to contact us. We didn’t want it to be a negative experience for anybody. All of the feedback that I have received has been positive at this point.

“It’s been very positive for, I believe, everybody in our building.”

Hart had her dogs go through classes to be trained for the job.

Both dogs are named after children’s characters. Charlie Brown is a two-year old male, and Winn-Dixie is a one-year old female.

The dogs are in every Thursday. In the morning they are frequently part of a community circle, sitting with students — often picked based on class incentives — while they are building relationships within a classroom.

In the afternoon, the dogs are in with the school counselor.

There’s a sign-up sheet with time blocks for students to spend time with their new furry friends.

Students are sent to the office for many different reasons, a positive incentive earned through a program, or it could be there’s a student with some anxiety who needs a chance to sit with the dogs.

“It’s amazing the sense of calm that just sitting with them or petting the dog can bring,” Kruer said. “They lay there, allow that and it is pretty remarkable to watch the kids respond to them.”

The teachers and administrators aren’t the only ones noticing how the dogs are providing a need for the students.

The children realize it, too.

“When I get wound up, I can just start petting the dogs and it calms me down a little bit. I can focus a little bit more on my school work,” fifth-grader Jackson Mollet said.

“When I get frustrated, it helps that the dogs are there, and when you pet them, it calms me down and gets the stress out,” fifth-grader Aubree Warfel said. “You feel like you know they are there to support you and help you when times are rough.”

Kruer said he doesn’t see his school as a trend-setter, noting that schools have used therapy dogs before, but it is something new to East and South Madison Community School Corp.

He and some of the teacher’s involved brought the dogs to a school board meeting earlier this month. They talked about the positive impact the dogs were having on students.

“Animal therapy is not a new technique, but animals seem to give students a sense of non-intimidation,” Hart said. “They look like big furry teddy bears or Muppets.

“(Charlie and Dixie) love going to school. When I say we’re going to school on Thursday, they’re springing and they love to be here amongst the students.”

Kelci Kidwell, a school psychology intern, had her first day of watching the interaction with the dogs and students earlier this month.

“The students seem to really to enjoy it,” Kidwell said. “It gives them a time to relax and step away. They seem happy and relaxed to be with the dogs. I see a lot of smiles.”

The program is only four weeks old. Kruer said they would move slowly with it, but he has already seen a lot of good things.

“Any time you see Charlie and Dixie in the hallway, it almost always fosters a smile with whoever they’re passing, and that’s staff and students,” Kruer said.

“I am grateful and blessed we are able to implement this at East,” Hart added. “I just feel like it’s just not another fad, it’s another thing that is helping our students be successful in school.

“It takes all the parts to be a successful student — emotional, academic and support.”