The latest member of the team at a Provincial Resource Program administered by Burnaby Schools has four legs.
At the start of the school year, students at Maples School Program were introduced to a new friend joining the class: a puppy named Mr. Ruggles.
Burnaby Schools leads the education for students in the Maples Adolescent Centre, which is a designated provincial Mental Health Facility that supports children and youth aged 7 to 18.
Maples School Program is located in the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre Healing Spirit House.
Beth Applewhite is the District Principal with responsibility for the Maples program.
Students at Maples have complex lives and we wanted to find a creative way to make school a place they want to be. We already observed that our school tortoise, Michaelangelo, was a draw in the science room. When I approached the Maples facility, the staff were very excited about the idea of bringing in a dog.”
Mr. Ruggles is already helping school staff connect with children and youth, creating new opportunities to support students.
When he’s not at the program, the school-funded puppy lives full time with Maples teacher Jennifer Bisset.
She says it is an honour to be on the other side of the leash with Mr. Ruggles and see the impact he is making with this important work.
“The biggest shift that I’ve noticed is that Mr. Ruggles brings smiles to everybody. It doesn’t matter what kind of mood students are coming to school with, they immediately relax their shoulders, their sense of playfulness comes out, and it helps set the tone for learning. The students are more drawn to attend because Mr. Ruggles provides the missing link between getting out of bed and getting to school because they know they’ll be able to see him.”
Bisset says she has also noticed that Mr. Ruggles’ presence helps teachers and staff at the facility by supporting them to be in a great emotional space to best support the students.
As the smallest team member, Mr. Ruggles is already making a big difference by helping to foster connections with students, build community, and providing an additional avenue for engagement in learning and school life.
Posted October 2026