‘Fragmented and uninformed’: Concerns with removal of facility dogs at Kitchener school

A pair of facility dogs who worked with students and staff at Sheppard Public School in Kitchener were removed at the start of this school year, prompting concerns from parents and staff blindsided by the decision.

They brought those concerns to a Waterloo Region District School Board meeting on Monday.

The dogs, Quessa and Nacho, worked at Sheppard as part of the Canine Assisted Intervention Program since 2020. Unlike service dogs, facility dogs provide support for groups or communities of people.

Maddi Kolberg, co-chair of the Sheppard Public School Parent Council, spoke in front of the board on Monday, explaining that trust had been broken, listing examples of either inconsistent or nonexistent communication from the school’s administration.

“Communication back and forth has been fragmented and uninformed and the reason for removal of the dogs has continues to change, leaving us as parents in a space of confusion and feeling a lack of partnership,” said Kolberg.

She called the decision to remove Quessa and Nacho “a silent removal.”

In contrast, Superintendent Jay Fedosoff noted a number of instances of communication delivered to staff and council on the decision, going back to before the beginning of the school year on Aug. 28.

“The principal has not heard from any staff that they are missing the dogs as a necessary tool for student wellbeing and success, they miss the dogs because they like dogs,” said Fedosoff.

He added that a number of staff he’s interacted with said they were relieved the dogs were no longer at the school.

Delegates were not given an opportunity to respond to these claims.

On Monday, WRDSB posted a press release to its website, briefly detailing support for service animals at region schools. In that release, a pair of paragraphs explained the ongoing situation at Sheppard Public School:

“At Sheppard Public School, a pilot program saw facility dogs made available to students throughout the school during the school day. The dogs belong to a parent in the school community. Facility dogs do not fit the definition of a service animal, as outlined above.”

“The facility dog pilot program at Sheppard PS was ended prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year. An absence of data related to the outcomes of the pilot program meant the WRDSB was unable to assess the impact of the pilot program on students, staff and families.”

The delegations presented on Monday were shared with Sheppard Public School staff for further consideration.