Jewel at School

Jewel visited my youngest daughter's classroom with E today. S was eager to answer her classmates' questions about what it's like to have a sister with a service dog. E was thrilled to leave school early to talk about Jewel.

Jewel was awesome. After giving E a boost into her chair, Jewel waited like a pro while we talked about service dogs, then gave a brief demonstration of what Jewel can do.

While the class ooohed and aahed, Jewel retrieved E's treat bag and eye glasses. She retrieved a student's fluorescent green mechanical pencil, too, even after we warned her it'd be slimed when she got it back. E also demonstrated how well Jewel listens by commanding her to stay, walking to the back of the classroom, and calling her to heel.

Before we visited, S's class read a story about a blind woman and her service dog. The class also completed extensive research online and in the school library about service dogs and their teams. They asked lots of great questions, so many that Mrs. R had to cut them off in the end.

Before we left, we removed Jewel's vest. All were eager to pet Jewel now that she was done working. Jewel seemed to love the attention, rolling over on her back and wacking her tail against the floor while everyone took a turn rubbing her belly.

One of many writing highs I took away from the event today: I see a definite picture book here based on todays' visit, post and title.