By: Ainsley Hall
SPRING MILLS — Potomack Intermediate School welcomed River, its new therapy dog, during an official introduction on Tuesday.
River’s job is to encourage attendance and provide emotional support to students throughout the day.
When Spring Mills High School received its therapy dog, Jet, Principal Craig Arch and the staff at Potomack Intermediate saw how he had such a positive impact on students. They wanted to bring that same energy to their school and decided to start fundraising to get their own therapy dog. They reached out to Ultimate Canine, the same organization that trained Jet, to see if it could bring one of its dogs to work at the school.
They were introduced to River, a full-bred chocolate lab. One of Ultimate Canine’s trainers came down to teach five handlers at the school, including Arch. Each of them is now certified and knows all of River’s commands to help students.
“She is impressively well-trained,” Arch said. “I was able to take her home one evening, and when the vest comes off, it’s an entirely different story. She’s a puppy with a lot of energy. We are so excited to have her and look forward to a decade-long career.”
On Tuesday, the school officially introduced River to the students. Each grade took turns gathering in the school’s cafeteria, where Arch talked about River and explained a few rules on interacting with her. School counselor Alexandrea Hott, who is one of River’s handlers, walked River through the room, giving each student the chance to pet her.
Hott shared that one of River’s main jobs will be to encourage students to come to school. River’s birthday is on Christmas Eve, so one way the school is encouraging attendance is by planning a special birthday party. Hott shared that River was able to help a student get off the bus when they were having a hard time.
“Attendance can be tough,” Hott said. “We can only do so much. A dog is a great way to have that positive incentive. It’s also great for kids interested in having a dog, so they can help us take care of her.”
River will also help students who need an emotional break. When they are having a hard day, kids can come to visit River and spend some time snuggling until they are ready to get back to learning and interacting with their classmates. Everyone was excited to welcome River into the Potomack Intermediate School family.