Canine Assisted Social Skills in Education (CASSIE)

We are different from many other Animal Assisted provisions in that I am a qualified teacher and SENDCO. My dogs are trained therapy dogs and together we provide a unique service that is educationally based and aims to enable students to re-engage in their education.  

CASSIE is a Quality Assured, Alternative Education Provider for Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and was developed to help individuals especially those with anxiety, ASD/ASC, ADHD, SEN, SEMH or behaviour issues engage with their education, begin to achieve their full potential and re-build self-confidence through interaction with a Specialist Teacher and therapy dogs. 

The students engage in activities such as Basic Pet First Aid and The 5 Welfare needs along with basic obedience work, which act as a scaffold to enable them to have a positive experience of learning away from the normal curriculum, focusing on the animal instead of themselves and having fun learning around well trained dogs.

Dogs are known to be empathic and attentive which makes them perfect listeners, interacting with dogs can enable young people and adults to manage their anxiety and begin to develop self-confidence and self-esteem without realising that they are learning.

Alternative Social Communication (ASC) is an umbrella for 

• Canine Assisted Social Skills in Education (CASSIE) which incorporates my specialist teacher role, incorporating a highly trained dog to reduce anxiety
• A complete study skills programme that I developed during my 20 years as a teacher with students with SEN. This is a structured programme suitable for all students from SEN to Stretch and Challenge (Able, Gifted and Talented)

FOLLOW CHANCE ON HIS INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT @Chance_the_therapy_dog_