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 Evans Elementary School students learned how to approach their four-legged friends in a safe manner when members of the group Comforting Canines of Grace visited the Limerick school with their dogs last fall.
First-graders attended an assembly that featured advice on how to approach dogs that are on a leash and those that are not. Students were taught the importance of asking a dog’s owner for permission before petting a pooch as well as the appropriate techniques for approaching an unknown dog.
P.J. Gaal, an Evans Elementary School parent, gave the presentation along with her dogs Max and Remi. Gaal is a member of Comforting Canines of Grace, a local group that is an offshoot of the national organization Therapy Dogs Inc.
As a certified Therapy Dogs Inc. handler, Gaal was already taking her yellow labs to area nursing homes and other agencies to provide comfort to those who may be sick or lonely. For a change of pace, last year she offered to bring her dogs into Evans, where her child is a student, for a lesson on dog safety. When she emailed her fellow Comforting Canines members to see if they would be interested in joining her to provide a more organized program for students, the response was overwhelming.
Together, the members of the group researched dog safety information provided by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other organizations and then put together their own program. The group began presenting assemblies four years ago to various schools in the district, having visited with students at Upper Providence, Oaks and Brooke elementaries. This is the second year the group has presented at Evans. Other Evans Elementary school grade levels will see the same presentation at dates to be determined in the future.
“Though many of our students may have dogs for pets at home, this presentation will be a great way for them to learn that they can’t approach all dogs in the same way they might greet their own pets. This hands-on approach to safety is sure to leave a lasting impression,” said Laura McNeil, certified school nurse.
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