Team Captain

“Captain is changing 520 lives and not just my students’, but my staff’s. He’s incredible. An amazing, amazing animal. I never knew I was going to love him so much. I had no idea. He’s incredible, he really is.”

After getting Captain, a yellow Labrador Retriever from Assistance Canine Training Services, Stephanie Moore’s life as a school counselor changed forever.

Stephanie, who works as a counselor in an elementary school in Toledo, Ohio, was referred to ACTS by a co-worker. Stephanie had seen first hand what a difference her colleagues dog Brooke had made in her school.

Stephanie applied for a dog from ACTS and now she and Captain work with 520 students, traveling to 21 classes each week. Captain gets the chance to work with students individually and in a group environment. Students, staff, faculty members and even the parents are affected by Captain and his presence. Captain works with the students during planned learning exercises and can sit down and provide comfort to the students as well when needed.

According to Stephanie, “Every student that sees him smiles. Students look forward to getting the chance to spend time with him. It’s always a connection with him. The teaching aspect of it is phenomenal because he is going to be remembered.”

When Stephanie works with the children, she is hoping lessons will be remembered because of Captain’s presence. Captain is motivating in the learning environment. He helps the children want to come to school and time with Captain is often used as an incentive program for things like appropriate behavior and attendance. He works in the classroom assisting with specific lesson plans, and he is also an affective assistant to Stephanie during counseling sessions. The atmosphere in her office, in the hallways, and in the classroom immediately changes when Captain walks into the room.

Stephanie’s journey to find the right facility dog for her school was an exciting process. She was looking to use animal assisted therapy with the students. Through research she had a strong understanding of the benefits of this, and she had a good feeling about ACTS after spending time on their social media pages, Facebook page, and after speaking to an ACTS representative.

And so, her journey began....

“Every student that sees him smiles. Students look forward to
getting the chance to spend time with him.”

Stephanie points out that “Their (ACTS) vision and their transparency stood out to me. Everything is really open and accessible. You get to see everything that is happening with the dogs. It’s not happening behind closed doors,”

Before choosing A.C.T.S., Stephanie looked at other facility therapy dog organizations. She found ACTS to be more open with information on the dogs in training. The inclusive and open environment was something Stephanie was looking for and could not find elsewhere.

Stephanie noted that “You can tell just how passionate everyone is.
They are all in it for the love of dogs and helping others.
It just blows me away. I loved everything about it.
I still love everything about it,”

After matching with Captain and graduating with him, Stephanie found herself still connected with the organization. Through monthly check-ins and phone calls, ACTS kept in contact with Stephanie after Captain started his new life. Every time she contacted them, they were eager to help her. The feeling ACTS promotes is one of “family”. And once you become part of the family, you are family forever.

Before meeting and training with Captain, naturally Stephanie was nervous. She did not want to let the breeders, trainers, puppy raisers or Captain down. Stephanie wanted to be what Captain needed. The volunteers and trainers at ACTS made the transition comfortable and stress free.

“They are engaging. You can tell that they love what
they do it and it’s contagious. The effort, energy,
kindness and commitment they put into everything blew
me away. I mean this is their life,” Stephanie said. “They have
spent their lives raising these animals and working together.
They ensure that these dogs are going to change somebody’s
life. It was amazing to see. They take their jobs very seriously.”

Stephanie delights in saying that, “Captain is changing 520 lives and not just my students’, but my staff’s. He’s incredible. An amazing, amazing animal. I never knew I was going to love him so much. I had no idea. He’s incredible, he really is.”