Teacher reveals the heartwarming reason a young student requested to bring his pup to class

Schools sometimes encourage students to bring their pets to class on certain days so as to create a fun interactive environment that fosters learning about animals. But in this case, a little boy made a special request to his teacher, wondering if his pet dog could tag along with him to school and attend classes by his side. The dog is not an emotional support animal or a therapy dog for him and there is a special reason behind the boy's request.

According to The Dodo, a little boy named Lopez who studies in an elementary school in Peru, approached his teacher Ali Bonilla Esteban a bit nervously at first to place forth his request. Lopez told his teacher that due to some recent hardships at his home, there is no one to take care of his dog, Pequena, when he leaves for school each day. The whole idea of leaving behind the poor dog locked up alone at home made Lopez sad and caused him to be distracted in class.

However, Esteban could empathize with this little boy's situation and she gladly granted him permission to bring the adorable dog along with him as he attended his classes. "He asked me, a little nervously, if Pequeña could come to school with him. I agreed. I wanted to support him, so he could feel comfortable with his faithful friend," Esteban told the outlet in an interview. The unconventional decision was rather easy for the teacher because she could notice the visible changes it brought in Lopez.

Esteban also informed the kid that he is welcome to the class with his dog in tow anytime he likes and ever since then, Pequena has been tagging along with Lopez to the elementary school. "My student’s mood has improved greatly. He’s felt happy," Esteban added. She also remarked how the little dog's presence in the class has brought a newfound joy among the other kids too. "She’s become another family member for us," Esteban said about the fur buddy. "We are all happy with her."

Netizens got emotional over this boy's bond with his pet and his reluctance to leave his four-legged buddy alone at home and left tons of comments underneath Esteban's original TikTok video where she first shared about Lopez. Owing to the original video being in Spanish, these comments have been roughly translated from Spanish to English. @rociorodri2022 wrote: "I am a teacher and I know that we feel sad when one of our students is not having a good time. Blessings and support always help." @virginia.g commented: "Thanks to his teacher for allowing his student with his pet in the class. They both give each other so much love." @simonaca12 added: "You are a great and understanding teacher with your students."

Bringing dogs to schools or colleges can actually bring a positive shift in the usually stressful environment. In a similar viral video posted by @dogsofinstagram, a college student got caught red-handed by his professor in the middle of a class where he had sneaked in his little pup. When the professor questioned the student moving awkwardly in his seat, the professor probably suspected he was texting on his phone while the class was going on in full swing.

But once the professor peeked over the desks, the student actually had an adorable fur ball quietly resting on his lap and hiding effectively behind the laptop on his desk. They had a good chuckle over it and the professor seemingly forgave him for bringing in the eager little four-legged learner to the classroom. According to KOCO 5 News, the Putnam City Schools Board in Oklahoma has also approved teachers and staff to bring therapy dogs in to help their students.

Therapy dogs must be registered with the American Kennel Club and must have training in order to help stressed-out students. "They just have to be clean, well trained, great with people and students, especially young kids," AJ Graffeo, the communications specialist at Putnam City Schools, told the outlet. "Typical examples of what that dog could help with would be allowing students to read to the dog so there’s no fear or judgment of peers or anything like that. They can read freely."