First World Café for SWLSB! - Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board

Mira Puppy Joins Adult Education in LachuteBy: Shannon Gravelle KennedyTraining a puppy from the Mira foundation is such anhonour. Not only does it benefit the foundation andthe puppy, but the school as well. Mira is anon-profit organization that raises and trainsdogs. These dogs are trained to guide the visuallyimpaired and the handicapped.When the dogs are puppies, the foundation turns tothe public for their help. People apply to be fosterpuppy families. The families socialize the puppieseverywhere they go for one year. From the age ofeight weeks, until the puppy is one year old, he isbrought to public places such as work, stores, malls,restaurants, post offices, schools, to name a few. Thepuppies come with strict rules that the foundationasks the foster owners to follow. There are alsotraining sessions which are mandatory for thefamilies. Once the year is up, the dog is then brought back to the foundation where the dogs will have more trainingdone at the facility. Many people find it heart breaking to raise a puppy for a year, and then have to give it back. I, onthe other hand, am finding it to be an amazing and rewarding experience and know I am doing a service for mycommunity.I had many reasons for becoming a foster family for Mira, the most important being a personal one. After havingbattled cancer twice, and having a lung removed, my father once again needed to tell me some bad news. He waslosing his eyesight to glaucoma. This is when my search began to find someone, something, or just some way to helpmy father. Then I heard about the Mira Foundation. My father is not a man who will ask for help. He is independentand will stay that way for as long as he can. After looking into the foundation, I was disheartened to learn that myfather, for his personal reasons, decided not to have the dog. I was still intrigued by what the foundation does forpeople, but didn’t have the confidence in myself to get involved.Many years later, I found myself going back to school at the age of thirty two, a mother of three and stepmother ofthree! I had made a decision that I wanted to become a dog trainer at the same time. Attending both academic andtraining schools brought me out of my shell and gave me the confidence I have needed for many years. After taking ajob-search course, I was convinced that I was going to pursue the career that interests me and that I have an aptitudefor. I also knew that the Mira Foundation was still somehow going to be a part of my life.After sending in my resume, I had a call from the foundation. To become a trainer, I have to start at the bottom of theladder by taking a puppy for a year to foster. This is when Trio came into our lives. After seeing the struggles andchanges my father has gone through, I am more than proud to take on a puppy, raise him and send him off the be thebest service dog that he can be.I have now had the puppy for two weeks. I have to admit that I was not sure if I was going to be able to handle havinghim with me all of the time. I am still a bit shy when having to deal with the public. With the time that has gone by, Ihave come to realize what a worthwhile experience it is to have Trio in my life. Where ever I go, people seem to glowwhen they see the puppy. It seems to make their day that much brighter. I find it to be the same at the adult centre inLachute. So many students seem to be really happy to see Trio and to help out with him. Having the puppy in theschool has brought up people’s morale. Students are interested in the foundation and it is showing them that theyhave to be responsible about having a dog in the school if they want to keep Trio here. The students are happy to saythat they go to a school that supports such an important community service as Mira. You can call me crazy or even tryto tell me I am wrong, but I strongly believe that Trio coming into my life and into the life of the school is somethingthat is meant to be and it is nothing but GREAT !I am sending a big “Thank You” to Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, Ms. Persechino, the director of CDC Lachute, as wellas all staff and students!SIR WILFRID LAURIER SCHOOL BOARD Page 54 VOLUME 3 · ISSUE 3 · March 2012