Sake

Sake, the English black labrador retriever in H201, joins English teacher Kathleen Clark on Mondays as a new therapy dog, putting her previous years of seeing-eye-dog training to use.

What are your hobbies? Secret talents?

“She has many secret talents. She was supposed to be an assistance dog at Guiding Eyes for the Blind. She was there for a year, and then she flunked out. Then they picked her up at NEADS Service Dogs, where she got even more obedience training on top of that. So, I would say her hidden talents are that she brings me my phone when I get a text, and she picks up my glasses for me. If the kids in class drop a pencil, she knows how to get it and bring it to them. She’s pretty smart.”

What are your favorite treats?

“All the treats. I would say mainly peanut butter and cheese.”

Do you have any bad habits?

“She does. Whenever it snows, she throws herself onto the ground and just loves to slide herself right through the snow, and she won’t stop. Most recently, she did that and cut her eye on a piece of ice that she’s still healing from.”

What is your favorite place to go for a walk?

“The woods. She’s a hiker girl. She loves it. Not even on the path, but going offroad.”

Why are you excited to be a therapy dog?

“I think that because she flunked out of the two schools, she was missing that aspect of her life. I can actually see that she’s really grateful that she’s able to put all of the things that she was taught to use. She especially loves the kids. When I snap the vest on her in the morning and it clicks, she gets super fired up.”