GOSHEN, Ohio — Six puppies training to become service dogs made a field trip of their own Friday, visiting a Goshen Middle School classroom for a lesson in socializing around new people and places.
Kelly DeNu’s career tech class welcomed two trainers from Circle Tail, a Pleasant Plain-based nonprofit that breeds and trains service, hearing and facility dogs, along with six puppies in training, according to a Goshen Local Schools Facebook post. Exposing young dogs to classrooms, hallways and groups of students is a routine step in Circle Tail’s roughly two-year training process, which prepares dogs for placement with people with disabilities at no cost to their eventual handlers.
Students in the career tech class gave Circle Tail handcrafted bandanas and dog toys to support the organization’s work, the district said.
The visit carried extra meaning for Goshen, which is home to three of Circle Tail’s own graduates. Meg, Artis and Rolyn work as facility dogs in the district’s buildings, trained to interact with students and staff throughout the school day. Meg, a golden retriever paired with DeNu, has become a familiar presence at Goshen Middle School, splitting her time between classroom visits and one-on-one time with students.
Circle Tail is accredited by Assistance Dogs International and relies on foster families, along with a prison-based training program, to raise and train its dogs before matching them with people living with disabilities, including conditions such as mobility impairments, seizure disorders, Type 1 diabetes and hearing loss.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Goshen Local Schools.