PAWS for Reading

We had a great program this week that I wanted to share with everyone. We partnered with our local police force and had a K-9 officer come in with his canine companion.  He talked about what he and his partner did – drug searches and patrolling the community and showed us how his dog could search for drugs.  He placed three boxes on the floor, one with real drugs inside and gave his dog the command to search for the drugs.  He also explained the difference between how his dog searches and how bomb dogs search.  After the drug search, he explained about patrol and what his dog can do – jumping, climbing, running, chasing, etc.  He then had his dog do a few jumps and took him off-leash to show some other commands around the room.
The kids and adults had some really great questions that the officer was very kind in answering and I think this presentation opened a lot of people’s eyes to how important, well-trained, and how kind these canine officers can be.  The kids were allowed to come up in small groups and pet the dog at the end of the presentation.  Kids asked about the dog’s heritage, how he likes to play, and how he has been trained.
I think a lot of people have preconceived notions about police dogs and how they are vicious.  And the officer explained that they are trained to be that way for a reason, but they also live at home with their officers’ as part of the family and really just enjoy playing, taking walks, and being loved – just as much as other pets!  Overall, it was a great presentation – informative and interesting and a great experience for the kids!