Dog joins 4th-grade class, brightening year
Davie – It’s been a yearlong case of puppy love at Nova Eisenhower Elementary in Davie.
Gunther the golden retriever joined teacher Suzy Shaw’s fourth grade class in August at just 10 weeks old. Since then he’s helped the students get better grades, encouraged them to listen in class and cheered them up when they were down.
“Gunther has made learning so much more fun,” said Shaw, who takes the 61-pound dog home to Dania Beach when the school day ends. “He’s made the lessons so much more interesting.”
Gunther is at Nova until February 2018 to get training for his future job as a service dog.
The classroom setting helps socialize him by getting him used to different sounds and experiences, said Martha Johnson, a spokeswoman for Canine Companions for Independence in Orlando.
When Gunther’s school training ends, he’ll head to Orlando for six months to learn how to turn on lights, open doors and pull a wheelchair. If he passes the program, he’ll be placed with a disabled person or a facility that caters to the disabled. So far, the learning has gone both ways, Shaw said, with dog teaching child and child teaching dog.
This week, Shaw had students read essays aloud in class about how Gunther has helped them throughout the school year.
“Last year there was a boy that made me mad,” said Brandon James, 10, of Lauderhill. “And Gunther helps me with this because when I get mad he comes to me and lets me pet him for awhile. Gunther will be missed when he goes, but he will still be remembered.”
Nevaeh Docteur, 10, of Pembroke Pines, said Gunther helped cure her fear of dogs.
“He turned the whole school year right side up,” Nevaeh said. “Gunther is always there to keep me smiling and happy. He is the best dog ever.”
If Gunther doesn’t pass advanced training, he’ll return to South Florida to be Shaw’s pet.