We were thrilled to receive our first ever visit today from Selmo, who takes his name from S. Anselm’s school and owes his training as a Guide Dog to the money raised by our children last year. Selmo was born in December 2018 so is now six months old and is a labrador/retriever cross.
After a romp around Top Field to burn off some excess energy, Selmo paid visits to each classroom, where the children all had chance to give him a stroke and ask lots of questions about him and how he will be trained. They found out when not to approach and stroke a guide dog and their handler (never when the dog is in harness and working) and when to approach and ask the handler if they need help (if the dog is sitting still and the handler has released the handle). They also learned that whilst Guide Dogs have many toys, they are never given a ball to play with so that they don’t associate them with play and become distracted when they are looking after their owners!
