T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Longtime BCLUW Elementary Aide Rita Stewart, seated, has introduced a successful therapy dog program within the district. One of the dogs, Hawk (wearing gray t-shirt), passed away on Thursday after a battle with cancer, and another, Max, is retiring at the end of the school year. Also pictured are current BCLUW therapy dog Benji and Aplington-Parkersburg therapy dog Phoebe.

CONRAD — After adopting a dog from the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown and taking him to obedience school at the Armory 40 years ago, Rita Stewart discovered a passion for training the animals. Eventually, the longtime BCLUW aide would use the skills she gained to bring joy to countless students and staff at the school district where she worked.

Over a decade ago, Stewart asked then Elementary Principal Diane Petty about the possibility of bringing her service dogs to school, and she got the green light — as long as they did their business outside of the building. Teacher Jill Van Cleave was one of the first to welcome them into the classroom.

“(Stewart) started volunteering, coming to the rooms, and we had a class that needed some extra support,” Van Cleave said. “She would sit on the carpet with the dog, and it was with Chance at that time, and she was training Chance for his forever home. So she would sit on the carpet with Chance, and the kids got a chance to learn how to listen and sit quietly. It was a great incentive for kids to earn chances to work with Chance or read to him.”

Eventually, Stewart came onto the staff formally as an aide, and the dog program extended beyond the elementary building to the middle school in Union and had as many as three at a time while also training dogs for other districts such as Aplington-Parkersburg.

Sara Janssen, an A-P teacher who is also a dog breeder along with her daughter, credited Stewart for training their first therapy golden retriever named Willow.

“That was just a whole process that our student body kind of wrapped their brain around to get going in our district. Rita’s trained Willow, Penny, Phoebe and Cora. So four dogs for our district have been trained by Rita. We currently have three dogs, and one of the dogs that we have has been adopted by Clarksville, so we have another school district that’s been affected,” Janssen said. “And Rita also trained a dog for Dike-New Hartford, so she’s touched a lot of schools, not just BCLUW.”

Alas, Stewart has made the difficult decision to retire the BCLUW dogs — with the exception of four-year-old Benji, who will stay at the middle school — at the end of the current school year.

“These guys have worked really, really hard for a lot of years. Hawk has cancer, so he won’t be around much longer. And it was just time,” she said on Tuesday.

As it turned out, Hawk’s time came shortly after the interview as he was put down on Thursday. The oldest of the current trio was 11 years old. It was the end of a storied chapter as some seniors like Raegan Crawford had him by their side throughout their school years.

“I think just having the dogs in the library is a fun thing. Kids will come in throughout the day and get coffee from Kelly (Hoover) and talk to the dogs, pet the dogs a bit and then head to class,” Crawford said. “But I definitely think growing up with the dogs and having them in the elementary was a really great outlet for, especially kids who were maybe having a rough time at home or just having a rough day at school. It was a nice outlet for kids to turn to.”

High School Para Leigh Carson primarily works with students on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and often brings them in to sit with the dogs if they’re having behavior issues or needing a break from school.

“This is an important thing to have in school because not only do those students struggle with learning social skills, how to have a conversation… They can come in here and experience that kind of unconditional love that a dog gives, and there’s no pressure there to act, quote unquote normal. They’re not expecting you to be anything other than who you are,” Carson said. “So I think it’s a real blessing, especially for the kids who struggle in those social and academic areas. Plus, I just love seeing them. Sometimes I need them.”

The experience has also been affirming and fulfilling for Stewart, who has trained a total of 17 dogs throughout her life, and Janssen said the program has helped to teach empathy — something the world could always use more of.

“The dogs kind of create a culture in the school, and I think that not only for the staff, but all the students. They welcome us to school every day. They’re there for so many things you can’t put a number on, you know?” Janssen asked. “It seems like a lot of times, people want to know ‘What’s the data? What data do you have to prove that these are making an impact?’ But it’s like the soft skills that you can’t put data on that you just see in people’s faces and the positive vibe that they provide. And all of that really goes back to what you’re getting out of these dogs, then we benefit from it as the people that have them in our schools. So that’s a big credit to Rita.”