Canine Training Program
July 22, 2020
It took two years but Kate Peters has found her perfect match.
Peters, the 2012 Ohio Teacher of the Year, met her facility therapy dog Ember, a two-year-old black Labrador Retriever at Telling Tails in Fryeburg, Maine, on July 13 and the human-animal bond was instantaneous. Ember must have known Peters was going to be her forever human as she walked right over and gave her a big kiss.
Ember is the third dog that Assistance Canine Training Services has placed in the Toledo, Ohio, school system. She will be joining Peters daily at Whitmer High School supporting students and staff there as part of an animal-assisted therapy program.
According to Robin Crocker, A.C.T.S.’ head administrator, Ember will follow Brooke, who in 2017 joined Melanie Robinson (Sylvania, Ohio) to work at Monac Elementary School (Toledo), and Captain in 2018 with Stephanie Moore (Toledo) to work at Greenwood Elementary School (Toledo).
“Both dogs work full-time with their handlers who are school counselors,” she said. “Kate is an English teacher who lives by the motto she shares with her students, ‘Living a Life with Purpose, Living a Life of Love, Kindness Matters.’ She was Teacher of the Year in 2012 and nominated for Women Are Rad in 2020. She has a special connection with her students built through mutual respect, trust, and music.”
Peters expects to further connect with her students using animal-assisted therapy. “The entire school system is over the moon excited to meet Ember,” she said.
A.C.T.S. was started in Center Tuftonboro in 2007 and moved to the Mount Washington Valley in 2014. Since then, the volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit has graduated 30 teams.
Ember was ready for her new assignment, according to Crocker.
“She has been in final training for some time now and is ready to fulfill her destiny,” she said, smiling. “Her puppy raiser, Kelley Brown (of Fryeburg) raised Ember in her second-grade classroom at Molly Ockett School in Fryeburg. Her final training was done by Shelby Packard, who currently coordinates the A.C.T.S. College Puppy Raiser Program at UVM in Burlington, Vermont.”
As a facility therapy dog, Crocker explained that Ember will go to high school daily with Peters.
“She will attend sports events and other extra-curricular activities that Katie attends on a regular basis,” she said. “Facility therapy dogs work full time with their handlers. The A.C.T.S. training program prepares these dogs for the riggers of long days and the stress of the school environment.
Crocker added: “Ember will serve as an emotional aide to calm and comfort individual students with anxiety or trauma. She will help teachers make important connections with their students and serve in a motivational program for students that need assistance. Ember will work with individuals and large groups in a variety of programs designed to help students emotionally and educationally. Katie has a special gift with music and dance used to motivate, educate and connect with her students. She uses her talents to engage her students. Ember is learning some of her own dance moves, and we expect that Ember will be dancing right along with her.”
Peters said her colleagues recommended she apply for a dog through A.C.T.S., and she was willing to wait for the right dog to be ready for her.
Raising and training puppies during the COVID-19 pandemic has presented the A.C.T.S. staff with some new challenges, but they and their four-legged partners have been making adjustments.
“We have used this time to reflect and consider our future and have several standing committees working on plans for growth and what that might look like,” Crocker said. “Classes for puppy raisers are back in session. They are split into a number of groups to keep classes small and maintain social distancing so things are definitely different in these new times, but we are moving forward regardless.”
She added: “All of the dogs have adjusted to the masks with little problem. And all our puppies are now out with full public access although we have restricted their ability to go to medical appointments, the hospital and to grocery stores for now. Otherwise, they are out working.”
Crocker said more puppies are on the horizon and A.C.T.S. is looking for a little help.
“We are desperately looking for new puppy raisers,” she said. “We have slots available for new puppies and for people who might prefer an older puppy. Our biggest wish is for more puppy raisers but we are also looking for soft crates so we can teach the puppies how to be good in soft crates as well as wire crates. We use primarily the 36” size.”
While puppy raisers usually make 18-month commitments to care for the young dogs, Crocker said A.C.T.S. is adding six-month puppy raising opportunities.
Crocker said the graduate dogs from A.C.T.S. are fully trained and placed at a cost of $10,000.
Most Recent News
Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life
June 2, 2021
When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]Students Get Therapy Dog
January 8, 2021
When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]Therapy Dogtor
January 8, 2021
Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]Therapy Dog Pups
January 8, 2021
When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]Puppy Cams
January 7, 2021
A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]Pet Committee
January 7, 2021
When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]The Right Rescue Dog
January 7, 2021
If your New Year’s resolution is to add a canine family member, good for you. Somewhere out there is the perfect puppy or adult dog for your family. You have a lot of things to think about when you begin to look for that new family member, puppy or dog? Large or small? Purebred or […]Police Dog Attack
January 7, 2021
A resolution headed to the Duluth City Council on Monday could put to rest a lawsuit filed by Teri Lynn Ehlers, an employee of the Patch Motel, who was bitten by a Duluth police dog named Oakley. Former Duluth Police Officer Marc Johnson was a registered guest of the Warroad establishment May 28, 2018, when […]PAWS With A Cause
January 7, 2021
Pebble Hill Plantation and the Thomas County Public Library are pleased to announce the upcoming Enlightening Bites program, “PAWS With a Cause,” on Friday, January 8, 2021 at noon in the Flipper Room of the Library. The program is being presented by Jeri Anderson, field representative. Anderson is recently retired from the City of Monticello, […]Police Canine Team
January 7, 2021
Kingston Police revealed in a news release late Wednesday afternoon that they’ve been keeping a four-legged secret for roughly three months. The force announced it added a second canine unit, with the arrival of police service dog Dak this past October. He is working with Const. Jeff Dickson, while police service dog Bask is working […]
