Hiding in the quiet and comfortable streets of Campbell sits a tiny little superhero. Maddy, a miniature dachshund, is Campbell Primary School’s own Story Dog and community SES (State Emergency Service) supporter.
Sue Elsbury, who is an active member of the SES has found Maddy keen to help in any way her little self can. Wearing her ‘unofficial’ SES uniform, Maddy attends community events and training.
Sue’s primary job in the SES is a ‘peer support officer’.
Recently, Sue and Maddy redirected their passion for people into their local school Campbell Primary.
In interacting with her, it is easy to see that Maddy is puppy made for people, especially those who might need an extra helping hand (or paw) to guide them.
I had the pleasure of meeting Sue and Maddy over drinks one evening to learn Maddy’s story of how a dog’s deep love for her community has given confidence to local children struggling to read.
Q: What was the process of adopting Maddie and how did that come about?
A: I decided about six or seven years ago that I wanted to have a little dog just for me and I didn’t really know what I wanted, but somehow or other I decided I wanted a miniature dachshund. And so I went out looking and I found Maddie. Or Maddie found me.
Q: What was it like meeting Maddie for the first time?
A: I bought her sight unseen, so I talked a lot to the breeder, but I didn’t actually meet her until I picked her up and she was this gorgeous little tiny black and tan puppy that just melted my heart.
Q: Her personality seems made for supporting people. Did you see that originally?
A: Yes I did. She was very cuddly and very, very sweet, she used to play with Alice the kelpie quite vigorously, but she always had that really soft side to her. And since I got her I’ve met lots of other dachshunds and I’ve realised that she is quite unusual because she’s so chilled and quiet and she doesn’t bark very much and lots of dachshunds bark a lot.
Q: Did this unique personality make you start involving her more in your work in the SES?
A: Yes, and she now has an unofficial SES uniform! So she goes to community events and to training sometimes and again she’s just seems so comfortable doing those sorts of things. They love her and she’s quite famous in SES circles.
Q: Has she then helped support you in your work in the SES?
A: Yes, in the SES I’m a peer support officer and that’s one of the reasons I take Maddie with me to SES events because she’s a great way of starting a conversation with someone. People will come up to me to talk to the dog but then end up having what we call a PSO (Peer Support Officer) conversation with me that may not have happened if it hadn’t been for her.
Q: Was it her comfortable nature with people that influenced you to sign her up to be Campbell Primary’s Story Dog?
A: The story dog thing absolutely happened because of her nature. I started to investigate whether I could get her accredited to be a therapy dog or an assistance dog so she could go into nursing homes or hospitals because I thought she’d be very good at that. And doing my research into that I found out about story dogs and I thought that just sounded perfect because I have contacts at my local school. She did the assessment to become a story dog which she passed with flying colours. I’ve been doing story dog now for two and a half terms.
Q: And how have you felt affected in your time doing Story Dog?
A: I knew I would enjoy it, but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. And again, it surprised me. I’ve become quite fond of the kids, which sort of surprised me. And she just seems to know exactly what to do when I go to the school for the sessions.
Q: What does doing Story dog with the kids involve?
A: So the sessions are with kids that are having difficulty with their reading. And each kid comes and spends about 15 to 20 minutes with Maddie and they read to her. And especially for children that are low in confidence with their reading, being able to read to a dog that’s nonjudgmental, it allows them to be better readers.
Q: You mentioned that you have a connection at the school. Who is your connection?
A: So my connection is my youngest niece, Fiona, who is the business manager. And we talked long and hard at various times about how good it would be if Maddie would be a Story dog at Campbell.
As our afternoon meeting bled into the evening, Sue’s niece Fiona Mckellar, who is Campbell Primary’s business Manager, joined us.
Fiona shared that Maddy and Sue are now a permanent part of the school’s community, with Sue opening the new ‘Curiosity Room’ on Wednesday 19th of March. The ‘Curiosity Room’ sports a gold engraved sign reading “Opened by Story Dog Maddy and Aunty Sue” complete with Maddy’s Paw print of approval.
“She is very much part of the community,” Fiona says glowing with pride.
“It’s very special, very special indeed,” agrees Sue, gazing lovingly at her little hero.
As for Maddy and Sue’s future, they’re off to the National Library on the 1st of April. They will be presenting a plaque to the National Library in recognition of their sponsorship and support of Maddy and the power of Story Dog.
Read more about Maddy and Sue’s contributions to Campbell Primary School’s curiosity room in their school newsletter for term 1 week 8.
Original photos by Alexandra Hollow