Comfort Dog Gets Photo In Yearbook With Seniors
Last edited Tue Jun 11, 2013, 02:26 PM - Edit history (1)
School Comfort Dog 'Retires,' Gets His Photo In The Yearbook With The Seniors
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One very furry high school graduate was honored this week with a yearbook photo of his own.
Prince “the therapy dog,” bred by Lutheran Church Charities is a 9-year-old golden retriever who works in the guidance office at Portage High School in Illinois. He's retiring and as a parting gift, he had a professional photo taken and published alongside the class of 2013.
We've never done anything like this but it was a nice way to say goodbye to Prince," Melissa Deavers-Lowie, Portage High School's yearbook adviser, told Yahoo! Shine. "Parents and students thought it was so cute and funny. And on Sunday, he'll lead the graduating class of 2013 onto the football field for the ceremony." Naturally, he'll be dressed for the part, wearing a custom-made red cap and gown.
Prince, who lives with Kunstek and his family in Portage, Illinois, has worked a 9-5 gig for the past 4.5 years. Every day, he rides to school with Kunstek and spends his morning greeting students as they arrive at school. He also sits in on counseling sessions with Kunstek and his students, and patrols the hallways, making sure kids are going to class. During lunch, he hangs out in the cafeteria. “Kids would sit on the floor and feed him Tater Tots and other treats, but he started gaining weight, so we’ve scaled back on that,” said Kunstek. And Prince travels for work: In the wake of the tragic shootings in December at Sandy Hook Elementary School, he was on hand to make the sure the children had a smoother transition back to school. “The kids at Sandy Hook loved him and all the other therapy dogs so much that Lutheran Church Charities is now trying to raise money for therapy dogs at Sandy Hook,” said Kunstek.
More: http://shine.yahoo.com/pets/school-comfort-dog--retires---gets-his-photo-in-the-yearbook-with-the-seniors--185325247.html
UPDATED - he graduated too! 
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They say dogs are man’s best friend. That’s certainly the case at Portage High School in Illinois, where Prince the Comfort Dog is retiring after four and a half years of loyal duty. To celebrate the occasion, Prince has had his photo placed in the yearbook along with his fellow high school seniors, with whom he will be walking at Sunday’s graduation ceremony, dressed in his own cap and gown.
Prince, a golden retriever, is a therapy dog from Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog program. He worked alongside the school’s guidance counselor and was considered a loyal companion by the students, who would sit on the floor in the lunchroom and feed him until his owner became concerned about his weight. Prince had a number of jobs, including morning bus duty, hall monitor, lunchroom monitor, counselor, and overall all good boy.
But Prince’s duties have not been limited to Portage High School. Prince also traveled to Connecticut after the tragic Sandy Hook massacre to help comfort the children and get them adjusted at a new school. Prince and other therapy dogs were such a big hit there that the charity is now trying to raise money to provide permanent buddies. Therapy dogs have also been sent after other tragedies as well, such as the Boston bombing, and have been a source of great comfort and healing for those affected.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/06/07/therapy-dog-who-comforted-sandy-hook-survivors-to-graduate-with-his-high-school-class-before-retiring/#ixzz2VveKNFZI
= new reply since forum marked as read
they say:
But Portage High School won’t be without a therapy dog for long. Isaiah, a 1-year-old golden retriever, is in training to be Prince’s replacement. “There’s something really calming about golden retrievers; they have a big effect on people,” said Kunstek.
photo and link to my OP.