Meet Molly the Therapy Dog

Molly is Meraki Early Learning Centre’s very own therapy dog. She visits the service most days and she can’t wait to meet you! 

Molly is a Sheepdog x Standard Poodle and is essentially a giant teddy bear. She will be turning 4 in the middle of June and is looking forward to a day of being pampered.

Although there isn’t a huge amount of research published on the long term benefits to children having Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) it is proven that they have a positive effect on children’s well-being. You can read more about it a study completed by Monash University here.

Lead the Way Institute is where Molly gained her certification and continues her ongoing training. They provide intensive training and offer accreditation to dogs who are suitable to be in high-risk settings. Molly wears a therapy dog jacket when she is in the service, so she is easily identifiable. It also helps her understand when she is at ‘work’ and needs to be on her best behaviour.

Molly spends time with the children at the service assisting them in many areas such as; regulating their emotions, creating positive relationships towards animals, understanding how to care for animals and assisting with the anxiety that can come around drop off time in the mornings.

At the moment, Molly is training to spend time off her lead roaming around the learning environments. We will build this up over time to ensure the children are comfortable wit the transition from lead to no lead.

She loves a pat and a cuddle so please come and say ‘Hi’ when you see her!