Cover Story: Going to the Dogs
There are plenty of reasons why dogs are called “man’s best friend.” They provide companionship and love in an unconditional way. And, like any good friend, they are there when you need them the most.
The dogs (and humans) of Gabriel’s Angels take the latter idea to the next level. Founded in 2000, the organization aims to help at-risk children through pet therapy. The goal is to use the connections between kids and dogs to help the kids develop some core behaviors — attachment, confidence, self-regulation, affiliation, empathy, tolerance and respect.
Like many nonprofits, Gabriel’s Angels had to reboot a bit after the pandemic slowed down their work and their founder left the organization. But now they’re back at it, with some exciting new initiatives to spread the impact of pet therapy to kids all over Arizona.
“I say it’s a 24-year-old startup working to reinvent what we can do for the community,” said Melissa Steimer, the CEO of Gabriel’s Angels. “We know that kids’ needs have changed through the pandemic. There are a lot of mental health issues happening. In Arizona, that’s one of the biggest challenges we’re facing.”
Melissa Steimer
Gabriel’s Angels does its work by identifying and training volunteers (canine and human) who work in teams to go to crisis centers and other places where children experiencing trauma and mental health challenges can participate in programs with the dogs. The organization has ramped back up to now have more than 100 teams across the state actively working with kids.
And they may have found the secret sauce. Gabriel’s Angels is now expanding its work in schools in disadvantaged areas, where they can maximize their impact on the largest number of children possible.
“They have more of a consistency of kids, which is really helpful, and they can pull kids out of their classroom space to have smaller group activities,” Steimer said. “A lot of schools right now are doing that anyway, because of needing counselors at schools to help these kids with whatever their issues are. We have this audience of kids that need this support, and the schools are allowing these kinds of programs to come into schools.”
Kristine Kassel is one of the organization’s volunteers — along with her dog Teddy — and is a former board chair for the organization. She has seen the impact pets can have in schools firsthand.
“I have witnessed direct impact individually and also on the larger groups of kids since Teddy and I have been at the same school for three years,” she said. “Now, we even see younger siblings of students that Teddy already worked with. There is no other program like Gabriel’s Angels. Personalized outreach from a fuzzy friend is a type of compassion like no other.”
Kassel cited the impacts of COVID and parents having to work longer hours as having a significant impact on the children she serves, as well as the access kids have to information — good and bad — through the Internet.
“The work has always been important, but I think today there is more of a need,” she said. “So the caring and outreach that a therapy team can provide to all students, especially those struggling, is priceless.”
One of the districts Gabriel’s Angels is most involved in is the Washington Elementary School District in the West Valley. Amanda Quine, the district’s director of social services, said the organization is currently working in three schools, with many more currently in the pipeline and the potential to work in all 32 of the district’s schools.
The district signed a memorandum of understanding with Gabriel’s Angels for this school year that focuses on three program areas.
“One is all about reading, where kids can practice reading to the dog in a safe environment. If they’re uncomfortable with their reading skills or abilities, you couldn’t ask for a better place to take some risks and be as vulnerable as you can when you practice those skills with a dog,” she said.
Gabriel’s Angels is also doing small group interactions where the children work on some of the core values that will help them as they grow and mature. And, teams from Gabriel’s Angels are making community visits where groups of children have an opportunity to interact with pets.
The results of the reading program have been tangible, as have the behavioral benefits for the students.
“It improves their coping skills, and in the reading group, you can see drastic improvements in reading skills,” Quine said. “Kids that have the opportunity to practice with the dog have seen significant growth academically. And those students’ reading abilities, comprehension, fluency — they are improving in all of that.”
But the improvements are more than academic. “Their whole presence is calmer, and it allows them to not only identify what those coping strategies are but to really feel them,” Quine said. “When we can feel the impact of something, it’s much more likely that we’re going to continue to practice it, because we like how it feels. We want to experience that all over again.”
Steimer said the organization is working diligently to plan for the future and expand its impact. Schools are an important part of that. She even sees Gabriel’s Angels as a resource in addressing issues such as school absenteeism and other core issues students and families face.
“Something we’ve been seeing lately is a shift in this realization that pet therapy has a place in helping to heal kids and to help kids show up at school more,” she said. “If we can bring the expertise of understanding how the pet can be brought into the solutions, that’s what we’re looking to do over the next 10 years.”
To learn more, visit gabrielsangels.org.
