Though the calendar year may have recently changed, at Southwestern Wisconsin School District, one thing that remains the same is therapy animal Charlie’s dedication to his work.

The four-legged fixture of the school has become “part of the woodwork around here,” said his handler, School Counselor Angela Bibb.

Despite being the youngest member of SWSD’s workforce, at the age of four, chocolate lab Charlie “just has a calming impact” on those around him. That makes him a great canine for his counseling office-centric job, said Bibb.

“This is where Charlie shines,” said Bibb. “He likes to be at school.”

“He’s a creature of habit,” so while he is excited to go home each day, he is also ready at the door to head to school every morning and seems to miss it a lot during breaks, said Bibb.

Charlie has been working side-by-side with Bibb at the district since she adopted him into her family.

He was trained as a therapy animal and proved to be a natural fit with the position at Southwestern, said Bibb.

His calm temperament and loving personality make him well-suited to reducing anxiety levels of those around him, she added.

“It’s just like a comfort thing” having Charlie at the school, said eighth-grade student Mallory Euler, who visits him often.

Charlie’s presence seems to relax students who are stressed by the prospect of looming tests and those who may not have the easiest time opening up, for instance, said Bibb.

There have been times when students have started a dialogue with Bibb about important topics only after they have been able to pet Charlie, she said. Having him there seems to help break down some barriers to conversations and puts students more at ease.

“We’re lucky to have him,” said Bibb.

Charlie is Bibb’s quasishadow at work.

“Wherever Ms. Bibb goes, Charlie goes,” said Euler, so he is frequently around the students.

But he isn’t too outgoing. While he will gladly accept attention, he also waits for permission to approach students, said Bibb. “He just listens very well … He’s very sweet (and) he’s sensitive.”

He pays close attention to what Bibb does and makes sure she never strays too far from him. But when he knows she’s around, he will gladly lay down on the floor and relax – whether he’s in the classroom or the hallway.

“He’s still a dog; he still does dog things,” said Bibb. She almost never puts him on a leash, she said, but one exception to that general rule is when he passes by the cafeteria at mealtime.

Dropped table scraps are a real temptation, even for a dog as well behaved and trained as Charlie, she smiled.

But he does have a special personality that makes him uniquely suited to his therapy animal role. “He never gets angry; he doesn’t growl, said Bibb. “He’s just super passive.”

She noted that she has only heard him bark maybe a handful of times in the years she has had him, and those have been instances when he is at home and something alerts him – such as when someone he doesn’t know knocks on the door.

He doesn’t need much by way of routine training, said Bibb, since his line of work at the district seems to come naturally to him.

Though it’s not always easy being responsible for a fourlegged partner in the school setting, “I think every school should have a therapy dog,” said Bibb.

“We want the school to be a second home, I think, for kids,” and the presence of therapy dogs helps in striving toward that aim, she said.

“He just listens very well … He’s very sweet (and) he’s sensitive.”

—School counselor Angela Bibb