Big Announcement for our Boone Bear Family

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT FOR OUR BOONE BEAR FAMILY . . .

On Monday, October 2 we will have two new staff members join us at Boone Elementary School their names are Andy and Meeko.  They will look a bit different from the rest of our staff because they are four-legged . . . a therapy dog and therapy guinea pig!  

I’m so excited to introduce Andy and Meeko to Boone. Andy is a Corgi mix dog that loves to play and has a big heart for children.  Meeko is about 1 ½ years old, and adores time with others and eating his vegetables.  Beginning September 18-29, I will give an orientation to all grade levels during their guidance lessons about having therapy animals at school.  We will cover:

·       General expectations

·       How to pet Andy and Meeko

·       When to approach them, which includes good times to say hello and goodbye

·       Learning canine and guinea pig body language and communication

·       Difference between therapy and service animals

They are both registered therapy animals through Pet Partners, which requires extensive medical and behavioral evaluations.  I am also a graduate of Texas State’s Animal Assisted Academy which included over 120 hours of training.  I’ve include both site’s links for further information.

http://aac-academy.clas.txstate.edu/about.html

https://petpartners.org/

Please contact me with concerns regarding food and pet allergies.  Part of my protocol is to give Andy and Meeko regular baths, and to wipe Andy down with an anti-dander spray every day he comes to work.