New service dog making an impact at Waldron Center

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·2 min read

BRANCH COUNTY — "Where's the Beef?" On weekdays, the 18-month-old French poodle strolls with handler Nick Porter in the halls of the Waldron Center, the largest of the special education centers for the Branch Intermediate School District.

The dog's real name is Sir Wellington, but that quickly changed to Beef, in homage to the British meat dish.

Beef with handler Nick Porter visits a student and teacher in the halls of the Waldron Center.
Beef with handler Nick Porter visits a student and teacher in the halls of the Waldron Center.

Now in his third week on the job, when Beef works, he wears a jacket with his name and service dog designation. When that's on, along with his working collar and leash, Porter said Beef is serious about interacting with the students calmly and lovingly.

Once he gets home with Porter's wife and other pets, "He turns into a one-and-a-half-year-old puppy, jumping like crazy. He's a sweetheart all the time, but he's significantly different."

Porter, one of four paraprofessionals in teacher Hillary Raymond's classroom, said, "We had a (professional development) class in October where they talked about having service dogs in school."

The BISD board approved the school's plan to raise the funds and put the dog in Waldron Center with the support of Darrin Adair, the assistant superintendent for special education. 

Porter started a GoFundMe page online. He quickly raised $2,000 for the dog and $5,000 for training from Magnum K9 in Quincy.

Porter said, "About 110 different donors gave, then Clemens (Pork Plant) ended up donating enough to cover (liability) insurance for almost two years."

With costs covered for over a year, the program may seek funds again.

BISD made a special vest for support dog Beef, who works at the Waldron Center.
BISD made a special vest for support dog Beef, who works at the Waldron Center.

There were weeks of training while the handler and dog learned commands and behavior. 

Porter and Beef went into the community, stores, businesses, and public places. "The majority of the training is getting him to understand that my commands matter," and to ignore others, he said.

Raymond said, "We have students who, when they're in behavioral crisis, will often continue escalating. Wellington has been able to stop our escalations, provide a calm environment, and help kids through some very hard moments. It's been amazing."

Porter said Beef made an impact in just two weeks in the classroom and school. "He is an amazing middleman for helping kids calm down before we get involved and have to go for more drastic interventions."

Raymond said attendance improved. "Everyone wants to come to school and be with the dog."

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With class in session, Beef goes to his "place," a raised canvas bed on the side of the room. Beef is ready to join the class on command.

Porter must train with the dog every day to maintain their proficiency. "We do about an hour a training Saturday, Sunday, and then over spring break, we'll be training a lot."

-- Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com 

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: New service dog making an impact at Waldron Center