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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.One of the Austintown Fitch High School students played with Louie, a dog with K-9's for Compassion, on Dec. 2.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Students at Austintown Fitch High School pet therapy dog Reese on Dec. 2 during a student service project event.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Students gathered around therapy dog, Louie, from K-9's for Compassion, at Austintown Fitch High School on Dec. 2.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Meja and Reese, two K-9's for Compassion dogs, sniffed each other during the senior's service project on Dec. 2 at Austintown Fitch High School.s
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Students at Austintown Fitch High School sat around Sparky, a therapy dog and retired racing Greyhound, on Dec. 2.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Tails were wagging in the Austintown Fitch gymnasium as K-9’s for Compassion dogs came to the building on Dec. 2 for a service project five senior students were working on.
Tommy Kubacki, Dana Scott, Anna Harr, Jackie Muccio, Allexis Sallee and Natalie Lynn got the idea from the group of seniors who brought in therapy dogs as their service project last year. Lynn, the student who organized the event, got in touch with her neighbor, Dana Patrick, who owns a therapy dog.
“There’s been six dogs so far and we are expecting a few more, so around nine dogs will be here,” said Lynn.
Throughout the school day different therapy dogs with K9 for Compassion came in for the students to play with. Therapy dogs are trained to visit different people around the community to help them relax with some furry friends. K-9’s for Compassion get certified every two years through the Community Partners of Pet Partners to remain a therapy dog.
“It definitely helped de-stress me. I came before my Spanish test and it relaxed me,” said Passion Pike, an eleventh-grader who has visited the dogs four separate times.
Pike said how she enjoys seeing all the different dogs and being able to play with each of them.
“We’ve had students come multiple times. There was one kid who was here for like three hours,” said Lynn.
Students who wished to come see the dogs were encouraged to donate a dollar. The money raised would go back to the K-9’s for Compassion, a non-profit organization.