Friday, March 10 was Rosie’s first official visit after passing her Pet Partners evaluation. We visited Mendota Elementary School in Mendota Heights Minnesota.

Rosie doesn’t have a chance to be around children very often, so I was anxious to see how she handled their sometimes chaotic energy. When we walked up to the entrance of the school, there were three lines of kids waiting to get into the building after recess. Yikes! Baptism by fire! But to my delight, Rosie did not bark or pull on the lead or cower from the excited children. She waiting calmly by my side while the kids filed into the school. Many of the kids talked to her as they passed and she remained calm and by my side. Win!

When we entered the office, there was a third grade student waiting to be picked up and Rosie went right over to him when he expressed interest in her. She put her head on his knees and gladly accepted his gentle petting. She met the principal and the office manager and another student with the same calm energy. Her tail was wagging excitedly but she didn’t jump or pull.

We met the librarian, Mrs. Keane, and she took us to our own room to set up for Read With Me sessions, one-on-one. Rosie read with three special ed. students and the librarian’s third grade daughter. She was calm and quiet and sat right by the kids, eager for their pets. I worked on keeping her engaged with the book, putting a treat on the pages every so often, to focus her. The kids seemed to really enjoy her and they did a great job reading!

When we were done with our reading sessions, we entered the busy hallway. It was the end of the day for the kids and they were excitedly packing up their backpacks and putting on their coats. I counted five kids who tried to pet Rosie at the same time but all five listened to me when I asked them to please pet her one at a time. Rosie never cowered and seems unphased by the sudden attention. I was so proud!

It was a perfect first visit for Rosie and a great reminder to me how much I love working with a dog and children. My former therapy dog Myrtle and I were a READ team for 10 years.

We hope we get invited back another day!