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Spinning Wheels And Wagging Tails

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: December 31, 2008

LAKE MAGDALENE - Dorothy Thomas School put a different twist on the traditional school holiday show with a wheelchair square dance, percussion on a plastic bucket and puppy performers.

The school has no formal music program, so teachers put together acts in their classes for the Dec. 19 show. Students donned reindeer noses and waved props for a "Rudolph" number, jammed with teachers on guitars and keyboards and jumped from their seats to sing and dance in the annual "Feliz Navidad" singalong.
Kids and Canines provided the only entertainment with four legs and a tail.

Dorothy Thomas has students from elementary through high school and serves children with special needs, emotional and behavioral problems and family instability.

Kids and Canines is known for its service dog program, which selects students to train dogs that will be placed with children or adults with disabilities or autism.

Program director Jennifer Wise said the students created performances for the event based on the work they do in class. They train the dogs to respond to commands and to ignore distractions, while slipping them treats as rewards for good behavior.

But Wise warned the students before the show that everything might not go perfectly.

"I tell the kids, it's like your first children in their first show," Wise said. "If they screw up, it's OK. You just have to deal with it."

The golden retrievers and Labradoodles cooperated for the most part, outside occasionally being slow to respond to commands.

The older dogs trotted in a circle around a decorated tree with their handlers to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," changing direction when directed and sitting, shaking and lying down in unison.

Then the dogs took a break while the students led the school in a Kids and Canines version of the "Twelve Days of Christmas." It swapped partridges and pear trees for "A golden pup, a service dog to be" and turtle doves and golden rings for "two teacher friends" and "five recipients."

Because the future service dogs may need to work with owners in wheelchairs, Wise teaches her students to use wheelchairs as well for practice with the dogs. The students and assistant program director Mary Maas showed off their wheelchair skills with a holiday square dance. They scooted in a line of six chairs, spun in circles with partners and wove around one another.

The performance culminated with the newest service-dogs-in-training. Adult volunteers who help with puppies twice a week led their charges through walking and sitting commands to music.
Kids and Canines started 11 years ago to tackle truancy. Working with the dogs motivates students to come to class regularly, and the animals have a calming effect on children who might feel angry or misunderstood.

Ebonie Bridges, an eighth-grader, joined last year and has learned to teach dogs to roll over, sit, lie down and even turn on lights. She reassured her dog, Joanie, she was in safe company so she didn't get overwhelmed at the school assembly. Joanie is scheduled to be paired with an autistic child.

Bridges, 15, said she benefits from the interaction, too.

"I felt like that no one could understand me more than a dog can," she said.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503.

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