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| 1/6/2010 12:59:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Dog days in school
Carver Elementary students learn dog safety
Katy Zillmer
staff writer
Mary Gamache's kindergarten class at Carver Elementary School in Maplewood had some unusual visitors of the four-legged sort on Dec. 10.
Volunteers from A Rotta Love Plus dropped by the classroom with their pets in tow to share dog-safety tips.
Kellie Dillner, volunteer education coordinator for A Rotta Love Plus, and Aimee Mabie, a certified dog trainer who helped start the dog-safety program years ago, demonstrated how to approach a dog and its owner, and explained what kids should do if they see a stray dog.
A Rotta Love Plus is a Twin Cities-based organization of volunteers dedicated to finding homes for Rottweilers and American pit bull terriers in Minnesota. The volunteers also educate the public about the breeds and responsible dog ownership, according to the club's web site, www.arottalove.org.
Both Dillner and Mabie brought their pit bulls, Cedric and Rex, respectively, to assist with the school program. Cedric and Rex, as well as all of the dogs whose owners volunteer with A Rotta Love Plus, are certified therapy dogs.
"We bring in dogs with us wherever we go. So sometimes it's people's first positive experience with a pit bull or Rottweiler," Dillner said.
She added that while the volunteers' educational program is focused on teaching safety with dogs, it is also designed to show that pit bulls and Rottweilers are collectively not dangerous breeds.
"These dogs, despite possible pre-conceived notions, are just dogs," Dillner said. "They're obedient and caring and loving and excited to see people and happy. So that's kind of our underlying agenda."
Rotta Love Plus members have about a dozen certified therapy dogs. Of those, six are active in programs right now, Dillner said.
The program came to Carver Elementary School after Mabie's , Rex, made his debut at another school in the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District. Rex was cast in the Tartan High School fall play, "Oliver," and caught the eye of district Superintendent Patty Phillips, Mabie said.
Phillips talked with school administrators in the district and found that Carver teachers were interested in their students learning about dog safety, Mabie said.
Dog safety 101
During the program, Dillner asked the students if they have a dog, know a neighbor or friend who has a dog, and if they are nervous around dogs.
They also discussed how to recognize a stray dog and what the children should do if they see one wandering down the street. Dillner showed the kids how to stand like a tree or roll up on the ground and pose like a rock to protect themselves from a loose dog.
"Any dog can misbehave and that's why it's especially important that we teach about being responsible because really being responsible is what will keep kids safe and knowing what to do in dangerous situations," Dillner said.
Some students in Gamache's kindergarten class were apprehensive about the dog-safety exercises and stood on the sidelines.
However, when they saw their classmates interact with Rex, they decided to join in. "We want them to interact or get over that fear, but we're not going to push it," Mabie said.
She told the students, "The biggest thing is to ask before you pet any dog. If there is no owner (nearby), then you can't pet the dog."
When they finish a program in a classroom, Mabie said the goal is for students to know how to behave appropriately around dogs.
Seeing is believing
Volunteers with A Rotta Love do many types of programs, including after-school activities, lessons with Scout troops, and a one-on-one special education program in the St. Paul School District, Dillner said.
At the end of a school demonstration, Dillner said they ask students if they know what type of breed they are working with.
When the children learn the dog is a pit bull, for example, Dillner said they are often surprised.
She said the best way to dispel the belief that all pit bulls or Rottweilers are dangerous is to show people that these dogs, when properly trained, can be well-behaved pets.
Once they understand that, she added, "it's just amazing to watch these kids interact with the dogs."
Katy Zillmer can be reached at kzillmer@lillienews.com or at 651-748-7822.
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