Merton Williams Middle school students enjoyed a visit from three therapy dogs on March 18 – Lindy and Ryan, both Airedale terriers, and Bailey, a golden retriever. Their handlers, Christine and Timothy Sheffer (Lindy and Ryan), and Jean Peyton (Bailey), talked to students about the important role therapy dogs play in both animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities at the Mary Cariola Center in Rochester, a special education school. Students in Anna Murrer’s Health/FaCS classes and Jamie Melos’ class learned about what it takes to train a therapy dog, had an opportunity to ask questions and, of course, pet the dogs. Peyton, who is a special education teacher and professional dog trainer, even offered students the opportunity to bring their dog to a training class. The visit coincided with the mental health unit students had just finished in their Health/FaCS class. Here, seventh grader Trypp Hilbert enjoys some time with Bailey.
Provided information and photo
