In the Media

Like many new teaching graduates, Sarah Macdonald started her career full of promise and hope for the potential impact she could have on a child’s life. But she soon realised that a great curriculum and a supportive environment were not enough. Children who weren’t in the right headspace and who were battling mental health issues…

Sarah started her career as a teacher and worked with many young people. Sarah also completed an animal assistance therapy course and spent considerable time as a professional dog trainer. During this period, she recognised how kids, especially at-risk ones, could benefit from dog-assisted therapy, and Canine Comprehension was born. Canine Comprehension is a company…

Returning to onsite learning, schools continue to have a huge task of managing students’ educational outcomes and balancing mental health after the social deprivation and uncertainty that COVID 19 brought to their families. Schools are looking for new ways to support children who are struggling with disconnection, anxiety, depression and loneliness. Lockdowns may be over,…

In this episode my guest is Sarah MacDonald of Canine Comprehension. Sarah Macdonald is CEO & Founder of Canine Comprehension. After changing careers from a secondary school teacher to a dog behavioural therapist Sarah decided to combine the two and create an innovative business that looks for solutions to school disengagement and child resilience building….

Author: Kristy Porter Teacher Sarah Macdonald discovered her love of learning later in life, but she always loved dogs. She has combined these loves to launch Canine Comprehension, a company that brings therapy dogs to schools to interact with children.   Sarah uses therapy dogs to help young people get to a place where they are…

Their programs are innovative and evidence-based, they are designed specifically for children who struggle to engage within their world. The best part is, they do all of this with the help of their dogs! You can find our more about Sarah and her team at caninecomprehension.com.au. If you would like to learn more about training…

Join hosts Joe and Mark as they discuss the topic of Animal Assisted Therapy. They interview Sarah Macdonald about her experience in this industry and her background that lead her to become an Animal Assisted Therapist.

Cranbourne’s Oscar the kelpie and his owner Alissa Lever, a provisional psychologist, regularly visit schools around the area in their roles and have seen first-hand the impact of the therapy on students. Oscar is on the payroll for Canine Comprehension, which runs wellbeing programs in schools. Each of Oscar’s classes consists of 10 students chosen…

In  more than 50 Victorian Schools, Canine Comprehension runs programs with therapy dogs that help kids focus on their education. Their programs are designed for students who struggle with motivation, feel disconnected or anxious and need support. “Our program is made specifically for kids who struggle to engage – socially and academically”. chief and founder…

I have a pretty unique job. I run a company that brings therapy dogs into schools to help young people widen their perspective around mental health so they can get to a place they are ready to learn. And I love my job!