When special education teacher Edyn Maybury's idea to introduce a therapy dog to help her students was deemed too costly, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She enrolled herself and two-year-old Alby in courses with Therapy Dogs Australia, and the labradoodle soon became a fixture of the Cobar Public School in western New South Wales.
"It was something that took months and months of prepping and researching and training, but it was all worth it on that first day," Ms Maybury said.
"It was all a lot of work but every day that he's here he pays off."
'A job to do'
She said when Alby puts his therapy dog bandana on every day, he "transforms".
"It's kind of really funny that this one cloth, this piece of material, is able to just transform him and remind him that he's got a job to do now."
The primary school uses animal-assisted therapy as a means of emotionally supporting students who may need extra assistance.
Since starting this year, Alby's role has included classroom visits and handler-supervised playground duties.
"As we're in a 21st century world, we're kind of trying to deviate from just sitting down supporting kids that way, chalk and talk type of stuff," Ms Maybury said.
Year five student Jake McCormack said he was grateful his school had provided him with someone he could confide in while at school, saying Alby made him feel "loved, calm and really happy".
"He's actually my best friend you know," Jake said.
Cobar Public School principal Jonathon Harvey said the biggest benefit of introducing a therapy dog had been the way in which students could now self-regulate their emotions.
"Alby can act as a circuit breaker in some situations, where instead of only being able to focus on an internal emotional response, Alby as an animal is an easy circuit breaker," Mr Harvey said.
"The children can focus on Alby, they'll follow Alby, patting Alby."
Happy on the job
Ms Maybury said the love and appreciation the school and Cobar community had for Alby, and vice versa, made his role possible.
"Every single time a kid is around him, his tail goes likes a helicopter and it's really reaffirming that he loves his job," she said.
"It's the kind of thing that wouldn't work if he didn't.
"It's a lot of additional effort from myself and him and it wouldn't work if the both of us didn't see the benefits and love it."
