A dog brings joy and peace to the classroom
When Meiju Kauttu started working as a special education teacher at Kalajärven koulu 25 years ago, she always had her gentle golden retriever Cherié with her.
Meiju Kauttu taught a handful of 7–9th-graders with different special education needs, including concentration difficulties. She taught each of them individually.
Cherié the golden retriever had her own role: she helped strengthen the teacher-pupil relationship by bringing joy and emotional positivity. She sensed which pupil needed consolation, sat next to them and alleviated their fears. Many pupils also managed to overcome their fear of dogs thanks to Cherié.
A couple of years later, Cherié was joined by another golden retriever, Teckla, and later by the bichon frisés Ticru and Tiltu. Above all, the dogs brought peace to the special needs education class.
“I remember how one pupil with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder sat quietly surrounded by the dogs, petted them and focused on an audio book on their headphones.”
Sari Kaunisto teaches Swedish at Kuninkaantien lukio. She also takes her bichon frisés Onni and Toivo with her to school – however, only a couple of times during each period. Unlike Cherié, Onni and Toivo do not have any pedagogical tasks. They simply bring joy, increase a spirit of community and brighten up the students’ day.
“Onni and Toivo hang out freely in the classroom and go to students for a scratch. They also create spontaneous encounters during breaks.”
Students at Kuninkaantien lukio see Onni and Toivo as part of the school and are always happy to see that Kaunisto has brought them with her.
Text: Jaana Kalliokoski
This article was originally published in the Espoo-lehti magazine 2/2025. The magazine also features other stories about the school world. Read the articles