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When Maple walks out into the school yard, students flock to him. As Ormondale Elementary School’s first therapy dog, he has quickly become the school’s celebrity.
Maple is a 10-month old goldendoodle that comes from a long line of service and therapy dogs. His siblings work for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, Menlo Park City School District, a San Francisco school and more.
“The first day he was here, it was incredible,” said Ormondale Principal Lynette Hovland. When Maple stepped out for his Ormondale debut, “All of a sudden everything stopped.” Kids were seen coming down from the play structures, basketballs dropped and crowds ran toward Maple.
“It was hilarious just to see this mob of kids go see this dog. They had heard so much about him,” Hovland added.
At Ormondale, Maple has been able to help young students transition into the new school year, a time that can often be nerve-racking for some children.
“On the first day of school, we were in the transitional kindergarten and kindergarten playground area as the kids arrived and he had quite a few students petting him,” said Sarah Vincenzo, Maple’s owner and Ormondale school counselor. “It was almost like the perfect distraction to get them to separate from their parents and get into class without getting upset.”
The idea for a campus therapy dog came from the success of PAWZitivity, a similar program at the Menlo Park City School District. After some quick discussions, it was an easy decision to move forward with a therapy dog for the Portola Valley School District, said Hovland.
The plan to have a therapy dog was in the works months before Maple was born. As soon as the district was on board with the idea, Vincenzo joined the waitlist for a puppy from Tricia Saldivar, breeder and trainer at Cali Pals Doodles and Service Dogs in Hollister. Maple spent the first seven months of his life with Saldivar, training and preparing to serve as a therapy dog.
By May, Maple was able to understand basic commands and had trained to be well-adjusted to loud environments, children and community gatherings. He joined the Vincezos soon after and was introduced to Ormondale students near the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Every morning, Vincenzo and Maple will greet the students by the school office as students walk in. The duo will then walk through classrooms as Vincenzo checks in to make sure students are settling into their classes. If they find that a student is having a hard time, Maple is there to support them.
Studies show that therapy dogs in classrooms can help reduce stress, ease anxiety and lower blood pressure. A 2019 study published by the National Institutes of Health found that dogs in classrooms also had a positive effect on empathy, learning, reduction of aggressive behavior and social integration.
As the year progresses, he will also be present for group and individual counseling sessions with Vincenzo. Maple has become her shadow, she said.
His presence on campus is also teaching students about concentration and cleanliness, said Hovland.
Students are being taught to be careful about dropping food and picking up trash because Maple might eat it. Since Maple has joined the Ormondale staff, Hovland said she’s noticed less food waste on the floor.
When students start to get distracted by a dog in the classroom, teachers tell students they need to focus on their work or else Maple will leave. ”They will actually pull it together and do what they’re supposed to do,” said Vincenzo.
Maple is gaining experience on the job but his training still continues as he and Vincenzo prepare to take the therapy dog test to receive official certification in the future. He follows in the footsteps of his sister Daisy, a therapy dog at a school in San Francisco and his brothers, Ben, Teddy and Maverick that serve the local community as therapy K-9s with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
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