Who is Merlin?
Merlin is a black Labrador, who is Bletchingdon born and bred!
Born on 8th May 2021, Merlin has been visiting the school from a very young age, helping him become a calm, friendly and sociable dog. He is highly intelligent, enjoys meeting new people and has a gentle nature that makes him a wonderful part of our school community. Merlin has a natural instinct for recognising when a child may be feeling upset or unwell and often offers quiet comfort and companionship.
Bletchingdon CE Primary has a long tradition of having a school dog, from Tess the Border Collie to Digby the Labradoodle. Merlin is our first dog to undertake Assistance Dog training, making him an especially valued member of the school community.
As Merlin is from Bletchingdon, he regularly sees his mum, sister and aunty on walks and play dates around the village. He is a much-loved and very special part of our school family.
Follow Merlin on his Instagram page.
The Human-Animal Bond
"Merlin has helped me in situations I can find hard at times. Merlin has taught me by trusting someone (like he has with me) I can learn new things."
The Human-Animal bond refers to the strong positive interaction that exists between humans and animals.
The positive impact of this bond is considerable and backed up by scientific data, case studies and hard research, all validating the therapeutic effects of human-animal relationships. These benefits can be emotional, psychological, and physical.
This unique non-judgmental bond can help to:
Merlin’s Training
We are aided in his Assistance dog training by Helen Stroudley associated with School Dogs UK.
Four staff handlers work with Helen our trainer. The training programme for schools provides a safe and effective means for animal assisted interventions in school. The programme not only focuses on the training of the dog but of the school handler too. This ensures all necessary health and safety considerations are met this includes understanding of complex canine behaviour in a learning environment, safe and effective implementation of interventions and crucially, the welfare and safety of the dog, children and everyone involved with the programme.
Home - National School Dog Alliance
We are a member of the National School Dog Alliance, with Merlin achieving 'Highly Commended' in the National School Dog of the year competition.
The History of Animal-Assisted Therapy
The earliest documented studies into AAT took place in 18th century England when animals were used as a socialisation medium for mentally ill patients, “awakening the social and benevolent feelings”. The animals were recognised as non-judgmental, calming influences that helped to reduce stress and anxiety.
Sigmund Freud believed that dogs have a ‘special sense’ that allows them to judge a person’s character accurately—his dog attended all his therapy sessions. Freud believed that the animal’s presence had a calming influence on all his patients, especially the children. Similarly, in the early 1960s, Dr. Boris Levinson reported a new step forward in animal-assisted therapy when he found that withdrawn and uncommunicative children would interact more encouragingly whenever he brought his dog, Jingles, to their therapy sessions.
“Merlin helps people to calm down when full of emotions.”
“Merlin is kind, helpful and comforting when I’m sad.”
“Merlin is an important piece of the Bletchingdon puzzle”.
"I am thankful for Merlin as he loves me so much."
Helen Stroudley Dog Training in Headington Oxford
Headteacher Caroline Walker
