Saturday, August 31, 2024
Wearing her own GISD name badge, Lucy trots down the halls of Gatesville Elementary School wagging her tail and visiting with students along the way. Lucy, a two-year-old Labradoodle, was first introduced to the school district last year before she and her owner moved. Lucy returned to Gatesville to live with her current owner, Christa Hitt.
According to Hitt, “She is not a service dog and has not had any type of training to be a service dog. She is currently in training to be a facility dog in our district.”
Hitt said that there are other service dogs currently on the GISD campuses. “The original district therapy dog is Bishop. He’s a five-year-old Australian Shepherd and he belongs to Joyce Cole. He works district- wide. However, he spends a large amount of time as the junior high’s facility dog.”
She continued, “Cleo is the next addition and she is a 3-year-old Pyrenees/Border Collie mix who also belongs to Joyce Cox. She joined us last year and currently works with Joyce throughout the district.”
GISD superintendent, Dr. Barrett Pollard, said “We love all three of our service dogs. They are all very sweet and caring toward the kids and adults. They really help to calm folks if they are stressed. They look forward to coming to ‘work’ every day.”
Hitt said that there are certain advantages to having Lucy on the elementary campus. “Over the last three years, we have had other therapy dogs for the district to come by and visit our Dyslexia classes where the students would read to them. Having Lucy here on campus on a more consistent basis helps with the overall morale and temperament of our campus. She not only brightens the mood of the students, but the staff as well. She makes a noticeable impact on students who are having a bad day. She is also a great motivator for students to work hard.”
“Everyone on campus LOVES Lucy. She is so sweet and loves getting attention from the students and adults. She is like a ‘celebrity’ around here,” Hitt said.
