This is Iowa: Perry teachers training puppies to be permanent therapy dogs in schools
Students within the Perry Community School District will have new classmates starting this fall: Kona and Sunshine Shimmer.
The two puppies are currently being trained by Perry Middle School teachers to become permanent therapy dogs for the school district. They'll first need to pass a test to get a Canine Good Citizen license. That certification will allow them to be in school hallways permanently.
Angie Beaudet and Codi Allen are the two teachers spending their own time and money to train the dogs. The middle school teachers came up with the idea after the January school shooting at Perry High School.
"This is something that our school needs," Beaudet said. "We've had a lot of tragedy."
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Once the dogs are certified, they will be at the middle school five days a week. They'll be able to visit both the elementary and high school, too. Allen said she hopes the dogs will help students heal and focus.
"Kids that have difficulty reading, if they read to an animal, it kind of brings up their reading scores," Allen said.
The two educators take Kona and Shimmer to obedience classes at Dog Training Elite every Friday. The dogs are trained with specific commands through repetition.
Kimberly Cameron, the head trainer at the facility, said it is fulfilling to see the progress the dogs have made over the past several months. She said she is honored to play a role in the process.
"Knowing that I'm making a small impact to this school has really just made everything great," Cameron said.
Beaudet and Allen have bigger plans for the pup beyond the school, too. Once the dogs turn one, they'll be able to take their therapy dog test, which would allow them to go into hospitals and nursing homes within the community.
"We've had a shooting and now Tyson's is closing, and it just feels like we need some good to come out of this," Beaudet said.
During the summer, the teachers are spending their time taking the dogs to different social events to get them acclimated to loud noise and big crowds. vlog was there as the dogs sat and watched a Perry softball game. Beaudet and Allen hope their hard work will pay off and make a big difference in the hallways.
"Maybe this will help," Allen said. "All we can do right now is try."
As of late June, the dogs passed their basic obedience class. Now, the dogs are going to a group class to get ready for their Canine Good Citizen. They need to pass that test to be able to get into school.
Allen and Beaudet have also put together a wish list of items they'd like to have for the dogs before school starts. .
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