A service dog is trained to support an individual.  A facility dog is also trained, however, the dog works with multiple individuals and supports a broad range of needs.

Yes, Mr. Akin, and other adults who will handle the school resource dog, participate in the same intensive training that individuals who have a service dog placed with them receive.

During the school day, the school resource dog is with a trained adult.  The trained adults are known as handlers.

Eastview’s school resource dog is at Eastview during the school day and will be at Mr. Akin’s home after school and on weekends.  The program will begin with a gradual implementation of one day per week and the amount of time the dog is at Eastview will slowly increase over time.

The resource dog will be used to support, encourage, and celebrate student successes.  The dog will not work with or have contact with students who have a fear of dogs or an allergy to dogs. Our first priority is for all students to feel safe at Eastview and to enjoy being at school. Students who are comfortable working with the dog will have an opportunity do so as we work through the logistics. The school resource dog will only work with students who want to work with it.  When individual students or students in small groups are working with the school resource dog, parent permission will be needed.

Members of the Eastview community may support this innovative opportunity through financial or in-kind donations, contribution of ideas, volunteering time or by being a positive advocate and spreading the word to other people or organizations who may be able to support our work.  The group we are partnering with, PawPADs, is a non-profit group that is always accepting support as well.

• http://www.pawpads.org/ 
  This is the group we are partnering with.  Our mission is to enrich the lives of people with disabilities by providing them with exceptionally skilled assistance dogs; To utilize the power of the human-canine bond as a therapeutic, educational, healing tool.
• http://www.cci.org/ 
  Canine Companions for Independence  is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, Canine Companions is the largest non-profit provider of assistance dogs.
• http://www.disabilityassistancedogs.org/ 
  Our mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and others through the use of trained assistance dogs.  We work with people to provide assistance dogs matched to their individual needs.
• http://www.assistancedogsofthewest.org/ 
  Through educational and vocational programs, Assistance Dogs of the West provides trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities in order to increase independence and self-reliance. We teach students to train dogs to help people.
• http://www.animalassistedintervention.org/ 
  The aim of AAII is to promote Animal Assisted Interventions and to act as a focus for all of those who work, or have an interest, in the field of Animal Assisted Interventions.
• If you are doing an internet search you want to use the terms “school facility dog” and “school therapy dog”.