Heeling House Dogs Help Student De-Stress
Heeling House, a Sterling nonprofit, is becoming increasingly popular among high school students as they provide service dogs to help students de-stress.
The nonprofit aims to improve the lives of special needs children through visits with therapy dogs, but its mission has evolved to help all students in the community. Established in 2014, Heeling House has grown to have roughly 30 therapy dog teams that serve students in Loudoun. All teams are registered through Pet Partners, an international organization promoting animal assisted therapy.
One of the services Heeling House offers is assisted animal therapy, when dogs come into the classroom and visit special needs students on a regular basis. Heeling House assists students at Harper Park Middle School in Leesburg, where the dogs come in every other week. The dogs help students reach their goals, either in academics or life skills.
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Photo Credit: Max Villegas