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Georgia relaxes at Central Catholic High School.
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Georgia's gentle influence

The Blade/Andy Morrison

Georgia's gentle influence

Central Catholic High School deserves credit for being flexible enough about pets in the building to accommodate Georgia, an English bulldog with a disability.

Teacher Kristin McKinley adopted Georgia from the Lenawee Humane Society in Adrian.

Since Ms. McKinley, the psychology and sociology teacher, has been bringing the semiambulatory dog to work, there’s been something of a change in the North Toledo school. The people in the building seem more tolerant, patient, and social with each other.

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The 1-year-old bulldog is training to become an emotional therapy dog. Spending all day in a high school, she’s getting baptism by fire.

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The dog was a stray from Atlanta, where she contracted an infection. The infection partially eroded the bones in her back legs, leaving them of little use. She gets around either by using her front legs, riding a “doggie wheelchair,” or carted around in a Radio Flyer wagon. At no time is the animal at a loss for human companionship. There’s always someone to cuddle, play with, or pull her wagon around the halls.

Head of School Kevin Parkins gave Georgia a positive reception because of his experience with a school therapy dog at Cardinal Stritch Catholic High School and Academy.

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Having an emotional support dog around school might not be for everyone. Schools could justifiably fear potential liability. In Central’s case, there’s a teacher with the right skills in charge of Georgia. Ms. McKinley has a background in animal and child psychology from Ohio State University. She has trained volunteers in small animal handling at the education departments of the Toledo and the San Antonio zoos.

It’s reported that students set aside their electronics to interact with Georgia, which sometimes leads to them actually talking with one another.

If Central Catholic plays sports against Scott High School, whose team mascot is the Bulldogs, Georgia may feel a twinge of divided loyalty.

Until such time, Ms. McKinley was right when she saw Georgia as a great fit both for a personal pet and as an emotional therapy dog for students and faculty at Central Catholic.

First Published December 29, 2019, 5:00 a.m.

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