"He is the superstar of the school. He is amazing ... and he brings happiness to everyone," said Sally Welk, a fourth-grade teacher at Octorara Elementary School, when describing Cider, the 2-year-old black Labrador that is the Octorara Area School District's facility dog.

Cider, who was trained by Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), works on a daily basis with the elementary school students. They are able to read to him and share their lessons with him.

"He works with third- and fourth-grade students, but if he is needed in another situation, he can go to another building to visit and help," said Welk. "Back when we lost a student in January, he went over to the high school to comfort students and teachers." Cider also recently attended a performance of "The Addams Family Musical" at Octorara Junior-Senior High School.

Cider is owned by the district, but he resides with Welk and her family, who live in the Lampeter-Strasburg (L-S) School District. L-S has facility dogs in each of its school buildings.

"I was PTO president at Hans Herr Elementary School (in L-S), and I got to learn a lot about the program," Welk explained. "I did a lot of research, and I asked Dr. (Michele) Orner, (superintendent), if we could get a facility dog for Octorara because I saw what an impact the dogs were making on the students at Lampeter-Strasburg."

She noted that Cider attends play dates every Wednesday morning before school at L-S, where he plays with the other service dogs.

Cider was matched with Octorara in November of 2021 after extensive training and both in-person school and home visits. "It took a while to get the perfect dog for us, but it was worth the wait," said Welk. "It was nice to know that (SSD) is very diligent in what they do. They are wonderful ambassadors and mentors, and they helped us with the process."

Cider started his training as a puppy and then moved on to advanced training in order to receive public access certification. "From the time they leave their moms at eight weeks, they go through all kinds of training," said Welk. "They make it to the advanced training usually at about a year old. They must be able to go into an airport, a grocery store and restaurants - all while being a well-behaved dog."

Welk and her two sons, along with other representatives from Octorara, including teacher Andrea Weaver, took part in several meet-and-greets before being matched with Cider. Welk then took part in a two-week training to learn how to become Cider's handler.

When not on duty, Cider enjoys spending time with the Welk family and his two pet siblings. "When he has his vest on, he knows he is working. When he is home and the vest comes off, he can be regular dog," Welk said, noting that Cider also enjoys his role as a facility dog at Octorara Elementary School. "He loves everybody. (On the way to school) I have to put the window down as soon as I turn onto Highland Road because he knows this is (his) campus."

To view photos of Cider working with the Octorara students, search for "SSD Cider" on Facebook.