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Huntingdon Pups Visit Local School

Tags: Huntingdon
March 08, 2019 12:00 AM
By: DOC Staff

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SCI Huntingdon Canine Partners for Life puppies-in-training, CJ and Able, accompanied by staff handlers Chris and Beth Linn, recently visited the Huntingdon Area Middle School for a working lunch.

Hosted by school guidance counselor Linda Miller, the working lunch was divided in two sessions and was well-received by students and teachers alike. After visiting several individual classrooms, CJ and Able made surprise visits to the school cafeteria at the beginning of each session to invite the students to bring their lunches and join them in an all-purpose area for their meal period. During each session, the students were given the opportunity to ask questions about the Canine Partners for Life program and about service dogs in general, while CJ and Able patrolled to ensure that the students were eating all of their fruits and vegetables.

In addition, the students were then given the much-anticipated time to interact individually with the puppies. While many thoughtful questions were asked, and much interesting conversations were shared about the puppies, the time with the puppies was what most of these students really needed and looked forward to. Smiles, giggles and full-belly laughs filled the meeting area. Some students happily sat quietly one-on-one with a puppy, petting him and talking softly to him, content to share a moment of quiet mutual acceptance and love. Other students huddled around a puppy in groups of laughing, talking, hugging joy.

Even the most hesitant of students couldn't resist the lure of a wiggling puppy coming up to say hello.

Miller shared that the time spent with the CPL puppies is the only reason that some of the students have to smile and be happy for those few moments, and she was extremely grateful to SCI Huntingdon and Canine Partners for Life for giving those moments to those most in need, and all of the students at HAMS.


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