Morgan, a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever who serves as the facility dog at Salisbury Elementary School, exhibits a calm demeanor that is welcome among students, faculty, and staff. "I find the benefit to be that the relationship with (Morgan) relaxes the student," said Angela DeBalko, Salisbury learning support teacher and Morgan's caregiver.

"I work with students who have reading difficulties, and I find her to be a great support," shared DeBalko. "She will lay with them while they read to her, and she is a great listener." While the 60-pound female goes home with DeBalko each evening, DeBalko's fellow learning support teacher, Amanda Lopez, is also trained to work with Morgan.

Morgan came to Salisbury from Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD). DeBalko noted that the district wanted to have a service dog at Salisbury. Houdini, a male yellow Labrador retriever, is already serving as facility dog at Paradise Elementary. "They were looking for someone here to house (a dog)," said DeBalko, who volunteered for the role more than two years ago. "It was quite a long process from the initial application until we got a match." DeBalko reported that she and Lopez visited SSD three times to meet potential matches and that SSD came to Lancaster County to conduct a home visit. "It was pretty rigorous," she recalled.

In December 2023, DeBalko and Lopez learned that a dog that matched the school's needs was available. In February 2024, the two teachers began traveling to Grantville each weekday over two weeks to complete training with Morgan. "It was training me to know her cues and how to work with her," said DeBalko, who noted that Morgan is trained to provide light pressure when necessary. "She has cues like lap, snuggle, and pressure across your legs," said DeBalko, who noted that to help encourage attention and focus, Morgan is trained to do a gentle bump move.

Much of Morgan's training occurred before DeBalko and Lopez got to know her. "(Morgan) had two years of being raised and trained," said DeBalko, who reported that Morgan's basic training was with a puppy raiser before the pup returned to the kennel for advanced training.

At the end of the two weeks of training last winter, DeBalko and Lopez were both certified primary handlers for public access with the dog. During the spring 2024 semester, Morgan learned her way around the school and bonded with her caregivers. "She became comfortable with her role, which is primarily in our two classrooms," shared DeBalko. "In the fall, when we came back, we gave her a month or two and started incorporating more (time) with others in the building," she noted. School counselor Josh Whitelaw and speech and language pathologist Lauren Lefever have both begun utilizing Morgan's services in the school as secondary handlers.

According to DeBalko, Morgan wakes up every Monday excited to go back to work. Exercise and other needs Morgan has during school days are handled in a school courtyard. "She has a space to run and get some energy out," said DeBalko, who reported that Morgan loves to chase a ball, but playing tug is her favorite activity. She also loves to snuggle and to have her belly rubbed. "If I am on the couch, she is snuggled against me," said DeBalko.

During this month, Lopez and DeBalko will return to SSD to renew their certifications with Morgan. "We go over all the things we're trained to do with her to make sure she's still (proficient)," said DeBalko, who noted that among those are riding an elevator and ignoring distractions. "If I drop something while cooking or getting her food ready, she will not go after that," said DeBalko. "She's supposed to ignore things laying on the floor, so if something falls, she will look at me and look at it, but she doesn't touch it."

Salisbury Elementary students have reacted to Morgan with affection. "The kids love her," said DeBalko. "She puts a smile on a lot of faces." DeBalko noted that when the school sought a dog, the needs of the smallest students were among the biggest considerations. "We requested a smaller dog, knowing she would be working with 5-year-olds," stated DeBalko. "A large dog could be intimidating to our small learners." While Morgan is adored by the student population, a few students were apprehensive at first. "There were some that were a little unsure, but now they've had an experience, they see how gentle she is," said DeBalko. "They are now more comfortable around her." DeBalko added that some students request for Morgan to put her paws across their laps. "The kids like that," she stated.

More information about the school may be found at https://salisbury.pequeavalley.org.