Reasons Why Everyone Should Have a Dog or Two

They clean up what is dropped on the floor at dinner time.

They make you get exercise.

They are always up for an adventure.

They are good listeners.

They give you a sense of security.

They teach you responsibility.

They show you unconditional love.


Here I go again with the dogs. I can’t help it. Right now I find them to be the biggest motivator in my life. Seriously, there have been times that my dogs have been the only thing to get me out of bed.

This weekend the weather has been great in Valdez. The last two days I have done nothing but play down by the river with the dogs. Which is great but it doesn’t get my homework done.

Anyway, my point to this is that I like classrooms that pets are allowed in. I had a fourth grade teacher that had several classroom pets including cockatiels, salamanders, fish, gerbils and a 5 ft. iguana that we got to walk at recess. She had our classroom arranged in pods and each pod would take care of a different type of animal for two weeks and then we would switch. Talk about the learning opportunities.

I was thinking about it while walking the dogs today; how wonderful it would be to have my dogs in class with me. But the reality is that more and more schools are implementing “no classroom pet” rules which I think is sad. Animals are therapeutic and teach children responsibility. Did anyone else have classroom pets growing up?