Alternate Activity 1: Visit From A Guide Dog
Part of Wonderful Welcome
Activity time: 60 minutes
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
- Identify a guide dog training facility, an agency that places guide dogs with disabled adults, or a social service agency that may be able to connect you with clients who own a guide dog and would be willing to visit your group. Work with your religious educator to arrange for a guide dog and its owner to visit.
- Find out what accommodations and access the visitor and their dog will need, and arrange to provide them.
- Ask the owner about the ways the children need to behave around the dog. Be ready to tell the children the rules, such as "no screaming" or "no petting the dog."
Description of Activity
Invite a working animal to visit the group with its owner. Have the owner give a demonstration of how the dog takes care of him/her and talk about how the human, in turn, takes care of the dog. An owner might also talk about how the animal was trained. In discussion, stress the mutual care that characterizes this human/animal relationship.
The children might like to present the visiting dog with Vegan Dog Treats as a thank-you gift. Determine beforehand if the owner approves.
Including All Participants
From your religious educator and parents, determine whether any of the children have allergies, fears or other conditions that require special accommodations for them to meet a guide dog.