Foster dogs reach out to the community

Two students (left and center) work with foster dog Suzy under the guidance of Danielle (right).

This fall several Pet Haven foster homes and their foster dogs were invited to work with some kids at Kenwood Trail Middle School in Lakeville. The program pairs dogs and kids with ADHD and teaches the kids the proper way to interact with dogs. The kids also work on teaching the dogs basic commands. The dogs adore their weekly visits and got just as much out of it as the kids involved. They absolutely loved going and working with the kids (extra attention and treats? yes please!) and the kids were frequently able to get the dogs to obey commands faster than their fosters.

Pet Haven dogs selected for the program participate weekly until they are adopted. Over the past 10 weeks Hector, Hank, Libby, Bailey, Ode and Suzy have participated in the program. The manners that they learned working with the kids contributed directly to the adoptions of Hank and Libby -- who both went to families with children. For that we would like to extend a huge thank you to the kids at Kenwood Trail Middle School!

The kids now have wonderful dog training skills and something to look forward to every week. Knowing that the dogs will be coming soon helps them to focus on the task at hand and finish their classwork. It has been a win-win situation for all involved! Many thanks to Danielle from The Canine Coach for facilitating the classes and getting Pet Haven involved.

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Junior wishes everyone a happy Friday and hopes you all have a productive weekend preparing for Thanksgiving. He has been checked over by our vet and is headed to his foster home today -- have fun, Junior!