School Days: Katie The Teacher

Since the children we visited last week had never met Katie we decided to have a little lesson on how to introduce yourself to a dog you don't know.

Before I brought Katie in the room the children learned these steps:

1) Ask the owner if the dog is friendly. If so, ask if you can you pet it?

(The kids added to ask your parents first which is an excellent point.)

2) Approach from the front so the dog can see you (never come up behind a stranger dog)

3) Approach slowly and quietly

4) Don't stare into the dog's eyes.

5) Hold your hand out to let the dog sniff it.

6) If dog calmly sniffs your hand pet it under the chin (not the top of the head)

I explained to the children that not all dogs are as tolerant as Louie (who is the most tolerant dog I have ever met). Some dogs won't allow their bodies to be touched all over and are afraid of loud noises and sudden movements. Katie is a pretty stable girl, but she can become frightened in chaotic situations. This made her a good dog to practice on.

When I brought Katie into the room the students did a wonderful job of introducing themselves to her one by one. They were all so polite and sweet; I was very impressed. Katie remained extremely calm and quickly became right at home in the classroom due to the lovely welcome she received. I wish I had gotten some pictures of the meet and greet session, but I was too busy supervising and making sure everyone remembered the steps.

Katie, Louie and I had such a great time and are looking forward to meeting Ms. L's next group of students in the fall.

Katie showing off her pink bows and scarf to some of the girls in the class.