Austin

In November, we added a new member to our classroom: Austin the service dog! Austin is a Kingston 4Paws service dog in training and will be in the Gr. 5/6 classroom for approx. one year.
Along with learning basic training, Austin is in our classroom to be socialized. As seen from the pictures, he is well loved! He has been a wonderful addition to our community and brings smiles to everyone’s face as he walks into a room.

So far, I have seen wonderful benefits from Austin’s presence. The students have taken on responsibility; they take him out for bathroom breaks as well as walks during recess. I am surprised at how eagerly students volunteer to be on poop scooping!
Austin has been a great source of comfort and calm in moments of turmoil, and is always ready to curl up on a student for a quick nap.
We have had so much fun with Austin and look forward to him growing and  learning with us!