Dixie helps out during Mrs. Nicole Roach’s class time.

"One day I came in feeling really down until I saw her," said Alan, a 9-year-old fourth grader at Bigelow Hill Intermediate School in Findlay. "She made me forget about all my madness."

Howett was talking about the school's newest faculty member, who never says a word and considers chasing a tennis ball the perfect mid-day coffee break. In between being brushed and cuddled, she's allowed to curl up and fall asleep for catnaps.

Um, make that dognaps. The teacher in question is actually Dixie, the school's therapy dog who has reported for work since October. A two-year-old Retriever/Labrador/who- knows-what-else mix, Dixie is one of only about a dozen dogs working in schools in Ohio.

She came to Bigelow from Assistance Dogs of America, based in Swanton, by way of a shelter in Toledo. The organization trains many of its dogs to help the disabled by retrieving items and doing other household tasks. In 2005 it placed its first dog in a school in Bryan.

That's how Nancy Baxter, a guidance counselor at both Bigelow and Northview schools, learned about using dogs in a school setting. She went to a school conference in Columbus and heard about how Bryan Middle School was using its dog to help troubled children open up and all children feel good about going to school.

"Kids are more open to talking with a dog than maybe a person. They start petting the dog and maybe start talking to the dog," said Chris Diefenthaler, ADA executive director. "For some kids who might have trouble going to school it might give them a reason to go to school."
After applying for a dog and being screened by ADA, Bigelow expected to be on a waiting list over a year for a match. Dixie came early when a school further up on the list wasn't ready for a placement when Dixie was done with her required six months of training.

Dixie belongs to the school. She goes home at night with either Baxter or school nurse Cassie Van Horn, but she is owned by Bigelow. Dixie and her training are probably worth about $15,000, Van Horn said, but because Dixie was donated to ADA, the school only had to provide a small application fee. Findlay Animal Hospital provides free or reduced rate veterinary care, but Baxter and Van Horn mostly pay for her upkeep themselves.
 
Dixie is used by teachers as a reward for reading or doing well in school. Van Horn uses the dog to comfort sick children.  Often times Baxter uses Dixie as a way to get kids to talk. Just her presence can calm students down, Baxter said, because Dixie doesn't judge.

"When we sit down to talk, a lot of them will ask if we can sit on the floor with Dixie. A lot of them who might be reluctant to talk to me, Dixie just opens them up," said Baxter. "I don't know what the magic is, exactly. Last year there was a second grader who didn't like to read. This year she's a third grader setting records with books she's reading to the dog."

Only one of Bigelow's 250 students is allergic to dogs, and that student's class sees Dixie without her. While most of the students love being around Dixie, Baxter said no one is forced to interact if they don't want to.

But most kids do. Just ask Nichole Snyder, a 10 year-old fourth grader who often gets to brush Dixie's fur or throw tennis balls for her to retrieve.

"She gets a lot of attention," she said. "If you're sad, maybe you can pet her and it makes you feel better. Almost everyone likes dogs, so if a dog is in school it might make (students) feel better."

Dixie is still officially on probation until February. But her prospects for future employment look good, said Principal Chris Brooks.

"She is a staff member," he said. "The atmosphere in school has been enhanced by her presence."

Fourth grader Nichole Snyder grooms Dixie between classes.