Introducing Walter, Birch Grove Community School’s future therapy dog

Golden Retriever Walter might be early in his training, yet, but he has already visited the students at Birch Grove Community School, where he will serve as a therapy dog.

Sara Knottski is a teacher at Birch Grove and she will be Walter’s owner and handler. She told WTIP that she is new to the therapy dog world, but is excited to see the impact that Walter has on the students. “When Walter comes to school, he is going to be a big asset and a big friend to all of our birch Grove students,” Knottski said. “He’s going to help with social emotional development, he’s going to reduce anxiety, he’s going to provide comfort. He’s going to be a good reading buddy, and just in general, he’s going to bring happiness and smiles throughout the building. ”

Walter is completing a training course through Liberty K9 Rescue Ranch. Jenny Sandstrom is the founder and lead instructor at Liberty K9. She explained that while therapy dogs receive less specialized training that service dogs, like medical service dogs, but that they do require more training than an emotional support animal.

Sandstrom also distinguished the type of help therapy dogs provide from other service animals. She said that while both service dogs and emotional support animals provide help to their handlers, for therapy dogs, they generally provide comfort to people other than the handler.

Therapy dogs are becoming more common in school settings, but can also be found in environments like nursing homes and hospitals, where their presence could help reduce stress.

During his training period, Walter has been living at Liberty K9 in Barnum, MN. Sandstrom said that in several weeks he will head up to the North Shore and begin accompanying Knottski to Birch Grove a few times a week. Sandstrom will continue to provide some support, including visiting to check on his progress, and she said she anticipates Walter being ready for full-time work by the fall.

While he is still at Liberty K9, his training will focus on obedience, tolerating unpredictable stimuli, and touch desensitizing, to prepare for a classroom environment. The training program also aims to build confidence in therapy dogs. Sandstrom explained that poor behavior in dogs can be the result of feeling insecure. She said, “If you have a nice, balanced, confident dog who is social and doesn’t have any such sensitivity, then that’s typically what makes a good therapy dog.”

Walter will not be able to be a fully registered therapy dog until he is a year old, but once he is deemed ready, he will work at Birch Grove as a therapy dog in training until he is old enough to be registered.

As the school year starts, the school hopes Walter will be able to interact with many of the students. Knottski teaches Kindergarten and first grade, but said that Walter would not be spending all his time in her classroom. She said, “I’ll be going to work and doing my job, and Walter is going to be going to work and doing his job. And he will be kind of all around the building, and we’re going to  develop a schedule that fits the students needs.”

Knottski shared some final thoughts about what she hopes Walter will bring to Birch Grove. “I’m excited to see him interact with a wide range of ages,” she said. “I think that we’re going to see a lot more positive impact than what I can currently imagine.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Sara Knottski and Jenny Sandstrom about Walter and his future role at Birch Grove Community School. Audio of that interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski June 21, 2025