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Noah Baderman and his dog Skipper took center stage at a school assembly recently.  They are there to kick off a fundraiser campaign the school is throwing for him to get Skipper trained as a service dog.  Noah, now in 8^th grade, had a heart transplant when he was just four years old.  Having Skipper fully trained would be a great help to him.

“He’s very stressed, and very shy,” said Noah’s mom, Melinda Baderman.  “I think a lot of that has to do with that he’s different, he’s in 8th grade, and 8th grade is hard.”

She got Skipper as a companion for Noah.  Someone that can be there with him when it may feel at times that no one else wants to be.

“We were thinking he really needs something that comforts him, that helps him deal with his stress,” said Noah’s mom.  “He’s going into this big world, where he’s just this little guy, and we thought that having a service animal that you can take with you everywhere, just as a comfort, but that can help him do tasks that he can’t do,” she said.

That’s why Noah’s school Principal Lisa Austin is trying to help Noah and his family raise the money to get Skipper trained.  Principal Austin knew that training a dog for Noah would be very expensive, so she got together with other faculty members to start a fundraiser.

“We’re going to do what we call a penny war, by the grade level, so 6th 7th and 8th grade will be competing,” said Principal Austin.  “We are also selling Support Skippy slips.  Kids can write their names on those and we will string them throughout the hallway.”

So far, sales of the Skippy Slips and the Penny War have brought in $2,000 for the cause.  He and Skipper are one step closer to their goal.  If you want to help Noah get Skipper trained, you can click here for more information.  Also, feel free to click that link if you or someone that you know runs a training organization that’s willing to help train Skipper.

The post School Rallies Behind Student and His Service Dog in Training appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Federal law dictates that service animals are allowed in public schools and all public areas to provide help and assistance for people that have disabilities. Most people think of service animals as being strictly for the blind but service dogs have been trained to help people with a large range of disabilities including cerebral palsy.

One of the lifesaving benefits that a service animal can provide for a person with cerebral palsy is announcing that the person is having a seizure that could be life threatening. Some researchers have considered that the changes in body odor that precede a seizure tell the dog that a seizure is imminent before any human could detect the signs of a seizure.

This short video explains the hoops that the family of a boy with cerebral palsy had to jump through in order to allow a Pit Bull named Stevie to accompany his owner Anthony to school because the 7-year-old has cerebral palsy. The stink was based on the fear that a ferocious Pit Bull might attack other children despite the fact that the dog was constantly attached to the child’s wheelchair and was professionally certified to be a safe and friendly service dog.

The post Service Pit Bull Wins Right To Attend School With His Very Special Human. This Made Me SO Happy appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

One student, Samantha (Sammy for short), was having a very difficult time coping after the tragedy. But when she met Spartacus, a 125 lbs. Akita, they instantly bonded. Spartacus the gentle giant helped Sammy cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He played a very important role in the healing process of Sammy. Watch the video below for the full story!

The post She Had Trouble Recovering After The Sandy Hook School Shooting But Then She Met This Gentle Giant… appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

If I had a pup like this to come home to, I would have gone to school more. I hope these kids spend half as much time on their homework as they did teaching this dog this neat trick.

The post You’ll Absolutely Lose It When You See What This Adorable Dog Is Waiting For appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.