K9 officer to serve as therapy dog for McAllen ISD students
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Twenty thousand students at McAllen ISD will soon meet K9 officer Penny.
Penny is a two-year-old Labrador from Brazil. Once she finishes training, she’ll serve as an emotional support dog for students and staff.
As part of her training, Penny was at Seguin Elementary School on Wednesday, familiarizing herself with the students there.
Campus principal Juan Nevarez said the school wants Penny around to help students with what they’re dealing with outside of school.
“They'll bring things from home... so when they come here they express themselves, and sometimes it gets to a level where they require a little bit of intervention,” Nevarez said. “We think of discipline as the only way to manage children, that's not true. Discipline includes positivity, reinforcement, anything we can do to support the child. It just so happens that this has four legs and a wagging tail that kids are attracted to."
While therapy is Penny's main job, she's also training to sniff out drugs
Penny will be fully trained, and ready to bring joy to McAllen ISD in time for the next school year.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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