Sarah Macdonald

1. Tell us a bit about you.

Hi, I'm Sarah Macdonald, the CEO of Canine Comprehension. My journey began with a passion for dogs and an interest in education. After teaching in Japan, I joined dog training and founded Canine Comprehension to combine these passions. Our mission is to enhance young people's well-being and learning readiness through dog-assisted learning and mentoring services.  

2. Can you tell us about Canine Comprehension?  

Canine Comprehension, based in Melbourne, Victoria, provides a range of dog-assisted learning and mentoring services. Our programs are designed to improve mental health and educational outcomes. We offer educational programs, individual and group mentoring, therapy dog visits, and resources for educators and parents. Our team consists of certified therapy dog handlers with backgrounds in education, social work, mental health and occupational therapy. All our therapy dogs are certified and trained for educational settings, ensuring a safe and effective learning environment.  

3. What do you love about your job? What are some of the challenges?  

I absolutely love seeing the positive impact our therapy dogs have on young people's lives. Watching students grow in confidence and social skills through our programs is incredibly rewarding. It's awesome when we hear about a student who was refusing school when we first met them and now thrives at school with our support. 

One of the main challenges we face is ensuring our mentors are able to reach all the clients who have requested our services.  With funding bodies like Mental Health School Fund Menu and School Focussed Youth Services supporting our work, we are often booked out and constantly looking to recruit new mentors and therapy dogs.  We will only take the best dogs and most effective, fun and empathetic people to become mentors - so recruiting and hiring can be challenging, but finding the right candidates who align with our mission and values is crucial.  

4. Can you share an example of the positive impact Canine Comprehension is having in the community?  

One success story that stands out is a young boy, a student at a South East Special Development School in Melbourne. Through our 8-week animal-assisted program, he showed significant growth in confidence and social skills. At first, he was afraid of the dog, but he was up for the challenge of making a new furry friend and went on to practice communication and problem-solving skills with the support of our mentor and therapy dog. This transformation was heartwarming and a testament to the effectiveness of our programs. Stories like these motivate us to continue our work and expand our reach.  

5. How can someone from the TOM: Melbourne Community get involved or support your work? 

Members of the TOM: Melbourne Community can get involved with Canine Comprehension in a variety of meaningful ways.  It was exciting meeting the reps of TOM at the Source Kids expo we attended.  As we were talking, ideas on both sides started flowing. I could see us working on collaborative projects, developing assistive technology that enhance our therapy dogs' effectiveness in educational settings. For example, creating custom tools such as coats, the dogs can wear with items sown onto them to improve fine motor skills or 'brain training' games that young clients and dogs could work on together.  We need to have a good chat about developing tools that help our therapy dogs better interact with students with complex needs.  

Also, thanks for allowing us this spotlight! Your awareness and advocacy will help us spread the word about Canine Comprehension through your networks. Sharing our mission and success stories can help us reach more people and attract new supporters and collaborators.  

6. Any news or anything else you would like to share?  

We're excited to announce that we're expanding our programs to reach more schools and communities around Victoria. Additionally, we're developing new resources for educators and parents to better support young people in managing anxiety and building resilience. Stay tuned for updates on our website and social media channels!