Walking onto campus into the buildings alongside faculty and students with their owners are a popular addition to the KO community. From veterans like food-loving and energetic Callie in Seaverns to student-loving and relaxed Bear in Roberts Theater and new additions like the shy but friendly Captain in CT, the dogs at KO are already making a noticeable difference in school life in the last two years.
Many teachers have been bringing their dogs to class since last year, and it has shown to be a success for both the dogs.
Dean of Students Krista Sahrbeck enjoys bringing Bear to school for various reasons. Bear is a calm dog who can be seen walking around the lower lobby of Roberts Theater. She is a relatively tall Goldendoodle with curly fur who is 12 years old. Every morning, she can be seen walking into the lower lobby of Roberts Theater alongside Ms. Sahrbeck. She searches in hope around lower Roberts Theater in the morning when everybody is arriving, often for somebody to pet her. Throughout the day, she usually rests in Ms. Sahrbeck’s office. “I think for me because she is an older dog, I just appreciate that I can just spend more time with her.” she said.
English teacher David Hild can be seen walking into lower Seaverns every morning alongside his creampuff colored Callie, who instead is sprinting down the hall to greet the morning students. “One of my favorite parts is when we come in at 7:45-7:50 A.M. and kids are sitting in the hallway waiting to get a class,” he said. “Callie sprints down the hall so she can kind of jump in their laps and say hi.” Callie often wanders into other rooms in lower Seaverns, looking for people to play with. She is a golden retriever with silky white fur who is seven years old. At other times, she can be found lazing in Mr. Hild’s office, waiting for somebody to share a treat or a pat. Another favorite activity of Callie’s is lunchtime. “She likes lunchtime because kids and other faculty and staff often bring her little snacks during the day and Callies’s a foodie,” Mr. Hild said. “Kids will often come and ask if they can give her a treat. She loves that.” Callie, like the other dogs at KO, is a people dog. Even when Mr. Hild’s classes are over, she walks into the classroom in search of a pat.
Callie and Bear are two of the veteran dogs on campus, having been here since last year. A relatively new dog on campus is Captain, math teacher Kristen Valenti’s pup. Captain is a tall hound/black lab with short fur who is three and a half years old. He is a shy but friendly pooch who can be seen trotting into their classroom in lower CT on certain days of the week alongside Ms. Valenti. Then he will lay in her classroom until he gets to greet students when a new class starts. Although Captain is a bit shy due to being newer to KO than Callie and Bear, he seemed to enjoy being in class as well. “My favorite part about bringing him was seeing how excited students were and seeing him,” Ms. Valenti said. “He seemed to like to transform their moods and kind of make them laugh. That was fun for him and he was excited to walk in the buildings.” When Captain isn’t lying around in Ms. Valenti’s classroom, he is strutting by her side on their way outside to get some fresh air.
These dogs have been a big source of joy at the school. It is evident that they enjoy it just as much. Once they joined KO, all three canines quickly made themselves comfortable. These hounds look forward to hanging out with the students and the faculty in the future!
