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Posted on 12.18.24
Friday the 13th was nothing but great for Captain, Britt and Holly, as the three celebrated their first birthday with a “paw-ty” at Winget Park Elementary School. The goldadors, a mix of golden retriever and labrador retriever, were in a litter of 10 born last year on Dec. 15. They are the school’s service dogs in training and are available to help any student who needs them.
The celebration began in the afternoon with a Puppy Parade so all students could participate in the celebration. Students lined the halls and cheered for the dogs, as they wound their way through the school and to the cafeteria. Some students dressed in special outfits, and others brought gifts for their canine friends. Twenty-four students selected at random were on hand to enjoy cupcakes and sing “Happy Birthday” to the pups, who had their own special cupcake treats.
“Having the service dogs at our school gives us the opportunity to meet our students’ social-emotional needs in different ways,” said Winget Park Principal Kira Michaw. “It’s amazing how a student who is feeling anxiety or sadness or just needs a quiet place, when we offer one of the service dogs to be part of that, how quickly they are able to readjust and regulate themselves to come back to class. Before our service dogs came, we had students who would take 20 or 30 minutes before they could calm themselves 
down enough to get back to class. And now, it just blows my mind that they can be back to class within 10 minutes sometimes because they've calmed themselves enough to return to class.”
Captain has been at Winget Park since he was 3 months old and served last semester with Larry, another service dog who attended the party to support his pals. This year, Captain is part time at the school, as he has a job with York County 911. He also earned his Canine Good Citizen certification by mastering 10 different commands. Britt and Holly came on duty full time this year since the students had responded to Captain in such positive ways, said Holly Carter, the school’s MTSS facilitator/interventionist. The school works with Pawsitive Action Service Dogs, an organization that trains dogs to help veterans, first responders and children.
Captain works at 911 with Carter’s husband, Carlton, and comes with her to the school. Melinda Carroll, the Enrichment: Makerspace teacher, works with Britt, while Holly works with kindergarten teacher Debbie Kilduff.
“So many of our students benefit from our pups every single day, and they are so excited to celebrate them,” Carter said. “These dogs settle our students, turn tears into smiles and provide some extra love they may be lacking in the morning or during different times throughout the day. Captain, Holly and Britt are three very loved service dogs.”
