Central Catholic Works With Ability Center Assistance Dog in Training

When students returned to Central Catholic High School after Christmas break, they met a new four-legged “student” who will be on campus for the spring semester.  Banner, a one-year-old labrador retriever from the Ability Center Assistance Dogs program, is in her final training to become a school facility dog, and she is learning the ropes at CCHS.

Banner has been training with the Ability Center since she was eight weeks old.  She has gone through extensive obedience instruction, and she has been placed at Central Catholic for the final steps of her training.  She is on campus five days a week, learning how to navigate the building and interact with staffulty and students.  In June, she will graduate from the program and be matched with her permanent school where she will serve full time.  Central Catholic will then be paired with another dog to begin its training in the fall semester.

While at Central Catholic, Banner is being supervised by a trained handler and foster with the Ability Center Assistance Dogs Program, Kylee Stewart (Class of 2018), who is a biology teacher and Assistant Dean at CCHS.  Banner spends her day with Kylee and never interacts with students without supervision.  She goes home each evening with Kylee.

“As her handler, I am responsible for her daily training,” Kylee explained.  “She comes to school with me and lives with me throughout the week.  I take care of all her basic needs, like feeding and basic grooming.  The Ability Center covers the financial portion of everything I do, such as food, medical care, and supplies like bowls and cages.  I am simply the daily hands-on person for her.”

The idea for CCHS to work with assistance dogs actually came from the Ability Center.  Central Catholic’s Head of School, Kevin Parkins, has been fostering puppies for the organization for several years, and when they recognized that they were in need of another school to do training, he was approached with the idea.  

“My family has been involved with the bility Center for over a decade, and we were approached by their training team this fall to see if CCHS would be interested in helping with their dogs in training for the dogs placed in schools,” explained Kevin.  “I first connected with the Ability Center by being the primary home for a school therapy dog.  Over time that has morphed into fostering dogs, and we have probably had over a dozen dogs in our home over the years. 

“It felt like a natural fit to help train future school therapy dogs.  Education is what we do, even if it includes four-legged students!  We love having student teachers and supporting others who are interested in education as a career.  Kylee was very interested in being the host for the dogs, so it easily fell into place.”

Banner, who is named after the mountains in North Carolina where she was born, had already learned many skills in her education prior to coming to Central Catholic.  Kylee is now responsible for helping reinforce proper behaviors in the school, introductions with students and staff, and hallway manners, as well as continuing to build on the skills she already knows, such as loose leash walking, sitting, down, left/right spins, etc.

On a typical day at Central Catholic, Banner starts out with Kylee in her classroom.  “She interacts with the students when allowed, walks around the classroom with me, and lies on her mat while I work one on one with a student,” Kylee explained.  “She is also in the hallways during every class change, observing the students as they move throughout the school.  In the middle of the day she gets a break and goes into her crate and takes a nap, essentially giving her time to decompress from being around over 600 people.  In the afternoons as I transition into my duties as dean, she is with me in the halls, greeting students, and just being an overall presence throughout the building.  She attends our all-school Masses and adoration with me each week, as well as other school events that are happening throughout the day.”

Once school is out for the day, Banner becomes a regular dog at home.  She runs around the back yard, playing with Kylee’s other dog Beaux, chewing on bones, and playing with anything else she can get her mouth on.  She truly knows the difference between work, when her assistance dog vest goes on, and home/play, when her vest is off. 

Banner and Kylee go through weekly training, either at the Ability Center or at CCHS.  The program directors evaluate Banner’s skills and how she is progressing through her education.  From their observations and Kylee’s reports, they will determine the best fit for Banner, whether that be placement at a school permanently or being adopted as a pet. 

“I truly cannot express how much support I have had from the Ability Center,” Kylee said.  “They have been amazing to work with and to help navigate this process.  It was a pretty fast turnaround from our initial meeting with them to me getting a dog (about 4 weeks), and throughout that time, they were constantly in contact, getting me supplies and setting up lessons so I could feel confident as a handler.  They really have been so awesome to work with!”

“Central Catholic provides the dogs with excellent training opportunities,” Kevin added.  “It exposes them to a wide range of environments, including classrooms, gyms, hallways, and more.  This diverse exposure helps them acclimate to different spaces and textures, preparing them for whatever their next assignment may be.  I have seen school therapy dogs do amazing things for students and staff, and I am confident that Banner's presence, and the presence of future school therapy dogs, will have a great impact on our community!”