Two stories from Fourth Class

Our visit from the guide dogs was very, very interesting because we learned that there are different types of guide dogs. There are regular guide dogs and assistant guide dogs, to help autistic children. There are two types of harness; the assistant dogs harness is blue and has a patch that says “don’t pet I’m working”. The guide dogs harness has reflectors and a handle. Did you know that it costs €35,000 to train a guide dog and €20,000 to train an assistant? There are microchips to track dogs and it will also tell if it is a guide dog. O yes, would you train a guide dog?

Written by a Fourth Class boy

 

On the fifth of October special dogs came to our school. Lunch was almost over and it had started raining. We were all delighted to see the dogs arriving. Noisily we followed our teacher into the hall, where the dogs waited patiently. Although they were only there for a short time, we learned a lot. The four dogs names were Pebbles, Hattie, Ian and Cabby. The dogs they brought were golden retrievers and Labradors. There were two different kinds of dog; one was guide dogs and the other dogs for autistic children. They have different harnesses. Usually they retire at the age of eight or nine. Trainers train the dogs at the age of twelve months. Unfortunately at three o’ clock they had to leave. That was the visit of the guide dogs. It was both enjoyable and very informative.

Written by a Fourth Class girl