Miss Daisy
Drawing
Our school is fortunate to have two therapy dogs, Daisy and Rosie, both West Highland terriers (Westies)
who belong to our counselor, Marty
Couch. Marty first had the idea of
using therapy dogs
at school when she
noticed how her pet,
Daisy, was able to
calm and cheer up her
foster children. Daisy
was subsequently
trained as a therapy dog and began
coming to school every day. Rosie, a
younger Westie, recently joined Daisy
at school.
Therapy dogs must be calm,
good-natured, and comfortable with
allowing people to make physical con-
tact. Daisy is such a comfort to our
students when they are sad, scared,
or just in need of a quiet friend. She
greets students in the morning, help-
ing those who are having difficulty
beginning their day. Daisy assists
students with special needs as well as
students whose needs
are special. I’m sure
many stories have
been told to Daisy’s
nonjudgmental ears.
Nancy Walkup
Daisy assists students
with special needs as
well as students whose
needs are special.
why Daisy and Rosie were at our
school. Student responses included
“to help us,” “to keep us from being
sad,” “to lick our hands,” “to let us pet
them,” and “to be a friend.”
While Daisy rested (and fell asleep
at one point), students drew her pic-
ture using white oil pastels on black
paper. Mrs. Couch came down to see
the students’ drawings as they were
finishing, and to retrieve Daisy. It was
a great experience for us all—students,
teacher, counselor, and Daisy.
Nancy Walkup is an art teacher at W.S.
Ryan Elementary School in Denton, Texas,
and the editor of SchoolArts. nwalkup@
davisart.com
Drawing Daisy
Recently I “borrowed” Daisy to model
for my kindergarten students. We
all sat in a circle on the floor around
Daisy. I began by asking my students
NATIONAL STANDARD
Students explore and understand prospective content for works of art.
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