Parker the Therapy Dog
Reported by Erik Smith
Web produced by Christiana Ciolac

Parker helps children deal with their problems. Video

If you counted up all the hours that Parker the dog has spent in school, you'd think he should have a Ph.D. behind his name, or at least a master's degree. Well, he does have a degree besides pedigree -- he's a therapy dog.

Parker is the co-worker of Deb Nicholas, the other part of the school counseling team. Their job? To help a lot of kids work through their problems.

"I think it's just that Parker doesn't judge," Deb says. "Parker loves everyone. Unconditional love. They can tell him a secret and they know he'll never tell anyone. He'll keep it to himself."

A boy talks about his troubles while Deb and Parker listen to him.

Parker isn't in this for money, but, that's not to say they don't throw him a bone or two now and then. Parker is in this to win the hearts of the little people who reach to stroke his head or pat his back. That's his real reward and the connection to a troubled child.

"A child who's lost a family member, they come up to Parker," Deb says. "And that bond is established right away. The warmth, the comforting that Parker can do."

"Parker, you know, I think he did feel sad for me," one young student tells Deb. "I think he knew what was going on. He's not like other dogs. He knows what's going on. He helped me through a lot. He cheered me up. I love dogs."

Parker does this to win the hearts of troubled children.

Deb and Parker are pioneering a new discipline known as animal-facilitated counseling, reaching children's hearts and minds with a cold Deb says Parker instinctively knows when a child needs something.

"He can go into a classroom and almost always pick out the most needy child in the room," she says. "And that's the child he'll go over to."

Parker puts a lot of miles on his 2-year-old paws each week. Today he's meeting friends at Southwest Elementary School in Howell. Tomorrow it may be off to the Voyager Elementary School and then there's those weekends at Children's Hospital in Detroit. He has his photo ID badge there, too. After all, there are a lot of kids out there that need his help.

Parker's come a long way since Deb picked him out of a litter in Williamston. He put on a little weight, learned to brush his teeth and all. He didn't learn to tie his shoes, but if he had them, he would fill them as a therapy dog because his heart is clearly in his special work.

"He is a lot more than just a dog to the kids," Deb says. "What we're trying to establish is that an individual can make a difference, even if it's a dog. We want the kids to take that away with them so that they can go out and make a difference, too."

[More From the Heart stories]