Sister, who is a Great Dane service dog, will be accompanying one of our students to school full time.
The JGMS staff and students participated in a short assembly to introduce Sister. In the assembly, Sister's trainer shared how students can be most supportive to her and to the student Sister supports. Jon, Nick and Andrea will be working closely with the teachers and specifically teachers who will have Sister in their classroom to ensure a smooth transition.
Some bullet points from the assembly below.
-Sister is a 2 year old Great Dane (Dec 25 birthday)
-Sister is a mobility dog and supports people with mobility and struggle with balance
-She is not full grown and Sister will grow with the student.
-Mobility dogs balance the handler. If the handler starts to fall one way or the other, Sister is trained to balance the handler
-If the handler falls, Sister is trained to support the handler to stand.
-Sister will match the handler’s gait and supports the handler up and down stairs.
Ins and Outs of Service Dogs
-When dogs are in vest, you don’t talk, make eye contact, do “cute doggy talk.”
-The dog is at work and focused on the handler and if the dog is getting rubs and kisses the dog isn’t focused on the handler. If the handler falls, the dog will not be as responsive because the dog is distracted.
-The example given was if some random person came up to you in the middle of a lesson and started telling you how great you are and how cute you are and starting letting your head you may think “what a creep!” That’s what the dog will be thinking.
-According to the the trainer, “Vest means hands off”
-Dog goes everywhere with handler.
-In class the dog will need a place
-Sister has been in training since 3 months
-Sister is currently 128 lbs. and growing
