May was an exciting time at SDA! Six Facility Intervention Dogs completed training and have transitioned as school dogs to begin assisting students in three elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. Skillfully trained to serve multiple people with intervention tasks that break cycles of disruptive or self-defeating behavior, these dogs will be creating meaningful and positive impacts. They are chosen for this particular training when their personalities are confident enough to work off-leash without direction. They must be able to act independently of their handler when they seek out the children or faculty who need them.
The May 2021 graduates and recipients are Foxie - Edgewood Elementary School in Homewood, AL; Gunnar and Maggie - Pine Level Elementary School in Deatsville, AL; Bullet - Hewitt-Trussville Middle School in Trussville, AL; Lollipop - Echols Middle School in Northport, AL; and Skye - Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, AL.