Buddy's Pals

Fulton Schools has partnered with Buddy's Pals to bring an educational support dog into our schools. Buddy's Pals is a fully licensed and insured non-profit organization that trains dog/handler teams to work in schools and around students. The dog/handler teams go through an intensive training process. Currently, Buddy's Pals is working with many schools in the greater Lansing area. Their dog/handler teams have even been on scene at MSU to provide support after the tragic events that occurred on their campus.

Educational support dogs are quickly gaining popularity throughout the country. And research has shown that they help ease student anxiety, promote positive social interactions, assist with the development of problem-solving skills, increase self-esteem, and provide emotional support. The dogs may even be able to help staff identify students who might be experiencing emotional distress. Our dog is Bo. Bo is a 5 year old golden retriever. Bo's handler is Mrs. Reynolds. This is also a great feature of Buddy's Pals they typically try to pair local community members with schools.

We anticipate that this program will likely start slowly and expand over time as need and capacity increase. Students and staff will likely start seeing Bo sometime next week. We understand that some students/staff may have allergies or anxiety related to dogs and we certainly want to be sensitive to that. So if your child has any of these issues please contact your child's building principal to discuss those issues. Also, if you would like to learn more about the Buddy's Pals program or would like to assist, please contact Mr. Torok.