He doesn't talk, but students feel connected to him and love talking to him.
He doesn't teach math, reading, or science, but students learn many life lessons from his steadfast love, patience, and energy.
He is Scout, a Laker Elementary therapy dog-in-training. He visits the elementary with his owner, Shannon Popham, every school day. He's become quite the celebrity!
The arrival of Scout, a Golden Mini Doodle, to the Laker Elementary scene came about because Ms. Popham, a special education teacher, believed the school should have a therapy dog. Last year, she ran the idea past administrators.
"They said, 'If you can figure out how to make it happen, make it happen,'" Ms. Popham said.
After doing some research online, she applied for a scholarship through a breeding company in Wisconsin called Stokeshire Designs. It was called the Red Fern Scholarship, and it provides financial assistance to various populations, such as teachers, military members, first responders, and others, who would benefit deeply from the presence of a therapy dog in their lives. Before she applied for the scholarship, she went through an interview process.
"The owner, James, and his wife had helped set me up a guideline of steps and they laid out exactly what was needed to make this all come together, right down to the training," she said. "It actually has created a lifetime friendship because we are still in contact with one another over the past year."
Once she found out she'd be receiving a dog to love, the next step was to figure out how to get her new furry friend from Wisconsin to her home. She contacted Kyle and Nicole Buchholz, and they helped secure transportation. She's grateful to Buchholz Transport, Inc. for their help.
Once Ms. Popham received Scout, who was born on Christmas, she sent him to puppy school for 11 days. There, he was bathroom-trained and learned the basics, such as basic commands, socialization, leash training, and more. From there, Scout went once a week for training with Denise Simmons at Canine Bonding. Each session was two hours, and these classes continued for a few months.
From there, Scout received more intensive training at Native K-9 in Caseville for seven weeks. This training completed what he needed to be a therapy dog. Once he turns 1 year old (which is on Christmas Day), he'll need to take a test to become a therapy dog.
"He will continue to do some more training to keep his skills fresh," Ms. Popham said.
She said seeing how far Scout has come in his training has been rewarding.
"It's like watching a kid grow up," she said. "Scout is very loyal and wants to please me as his owner."
Ms. Popham received grants from Frankenmuth Credit Union and the Huron County Community Foundation to help pay for Scout's training. She's very thankful for their support.
When Scout comes to the elementary, he greets students in the morning, visits classrooms, and spends time with students who are having a rough day. He does a great job bringing smiles to everyone who sees him.
"Kids are so excited to see Scout," Ms. Popham said. "It's one more thing to get kids drawn to coming to school and enjoying their school day."
She said the feeling is mutual for Scout.
"He looks forward to coming to school," she said. "His tail is just a-waggin' when he comes here."
Ms. Popham noted every time Scout gets a haircut, she wants him to get something different, and it's been fun coming up with new ideas.
"God bless the ladies at the Dog House Grooming Shoppe (in Bad Axe), because they will just run with my crazy ideas," she said with a chuckle.
Ms. Popham is looking forward to the many wonderful memories with Scout at school and at home.
He's brought us all joy at Lakers and at home," she said. "He's the best Christmas gift I never knew I needed."
