'Best buddy' dog Rhubarb helps students learn

A college assistance dog whose "biggest job is promoting smiles" has been helping students feel more confident in and out of the classroom.

Rhubarb, a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, works at Nescot College alongside his owner Zoe Latter, who has been a teacher for more than 30 years and takes her "best buddy" to the Surrey campus four days a week.

He supports students in a range of ways, from walking the corridors and encouraging conversation, to working one-to-one with those who might be feeling "very shy or a bit anxious", Latter said.

Rhubarb, who has worked at the college in Epsom for about four years, was among the winners in this year's School Dog of the Year Awards.

Latter said Rhubarb helped students feel more relaxed and ready to learn.

He has even been allowed into GCSE maths exams as a special concession, sitting quietly with students to help them settle.

In lessons, he takes part in activities designed to build confidence, including a game where he is trained to pick out incorrect answers as a "stooge dog", so students can explain their thinking by patiently showing him why his answer was wrong.

Latter said it showed students it was "all right to get things wrong, and that's how you learn".

Rhubarb's temperament is key to his role, she added.

"Because he's so quiet and very, very gentle, he's ideal – because not everybody wants to be bounced on and breathed on and dribbled on and have toys shoved at them," she said.

"He's so good for our students that perhaps are that little bit more reticent, a little bit shyer, maybe feeling a bit lonely, and then he provides that bridge."

Latter, who helped Rhubarb get to know the college as a puppy, said his welfare was closely monitored, with regular assessments to ensure he remains happy and comfortable in his work.

He is also a family pet, she said, adding: "If it got to a point where he thought 'actually this is a bit much, I'd rather stay at home in the garden', then that would be fine."

She said she loved having him by her side at work, adding: "He's got the best floppy ears in the world."

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