How can I help you?

A kindergarten teacher and his service dog in Sacramento are teaching students lessons of the mind and heart.

Vocabulary chunks to learn from video

a wheelchair
he broke his neck in a diving accident
he has his service dog Rex, by his side
Every day that I go to work I take Rex with me
It’s Mr Peets and Rex, We go hand in hand
if I’m… dropping stuff on the ground, he’s there to help me out
Up you go. Good boy

get a book and read.
They just need someone to listen to them

let them practice their reading skills
they can pet him for a while until they calm down
He’s so cute and adorable
And I like to read to him. Rex makes me feel good
When I have the leash and he’s hooked up to me
he is so excited to be out there with the kids

at first they’re afraid
he’s part of their family
at the end of the school day
a service dog
“Come on Rex. Come on, come on, come on!”
how can I help you?
What can I do for you?
I’m here for you no matter what
It typically takes 1 to 2 years to train a service dog
Some typical tasks include picking up objects
opening and closing doors,

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The secrets of a friendship

“Dogs & Us – The Secret of a Friendship” tells beautiful, exciting and extraordinary real-life stories of dogs and humans around the world. From the shelter dog helping a prison inmate find courage, to the specially trained four-legged companion of a young autistic woman, to the rescue dog using smell to locate missing people. In breathtaking pictures, the documentary shows dogs’ special skills and uncovers why they are essential to our society. Why can dogs communicate with us so well? How far does this understanding go? And what exactly is the secret of this wonderful friendship?

Would you walk around the world with your dog?

Great big story

Who better to see the world with than your best friend? Especially when your best friend is a dog. Tom Turcich of New Jersey and his adorable pooch Savannah have walked over 18,000 miles through the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Italy, Turkey and dozens of other countries over the past five years. It’s been a life-changing adventure. They’ve survived hardship, and they’ve experienced the kindness of strangers along the way. And they’ve still got miles to go.

Follow Tom on HERE

Vocabulary chunks to learn from video :

• Across 35 different countries
• Over the past five years
• Off the beaten track
• How fleeting life was
• Make the most of things
• To travel and experience humanity
• An extra pair of shoes
• A few essential items
• To embark on this journey
• An adoption canter
• They crossed their first border into Mexico
• 24 miles a day for 72 days
• They faced some challenges
• Super humid
• Some locals helped them
• The power of beauty in the kindness of complete strangers
• A cross road
• Gave us dinner and put us up
• They took a boat to Antarctica
• Everything in abundance
• A magical place
• I thought I knew a lot about myself
• Little villages in the desert in the mountains in the jungle
• Spend time with their family
• That’s universal

One day I’ll fly away

 

 [John  Lewis]

One Day I’ll Fly Away

I follow the night
Can’t stand the light

One day I’ll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday
What more can your love do for me
When will love be through with me
Why live life from dream to dream
And dread the day when dreaming ends

One day I’ll fly away!
Leave all this to yesterday!
Why live life from dream to dream?
And dread the day when dreaming ends

The music is One Day I’ll Fly Away performed by Vaults, the original song was by Randy Crawford.  Find the track HERE

 

The power of puppies

[The Soul Pancake]

An interesting article from Love that pet 

The Benefits of Owning a Dog :

COMPANIONSHIP

You already know how good a friend your dog can be. What you might not have noticed is how much more you talk to other people when you’re out with your dog. You’re simply more likely to interact with other humans when your dog is with you than when you are out for a walk by yourself.

EXERCISE

Having a dog also increases the chances you’ll go for walks and play in the park. It’s harder to skip your morning run when your exercise partner is bouncing excitedly at the door with his leash in his mouth. How can you tell him you want to skip walkies today?

EMPATHY

Perhaps the practice in nurturing is the reason behind the observation that kids with dogs tend to be more empathetic than other kids, all else being equal. They also tend to be more popular with their schoolmates and have healthy self-esteem. These are all good things for a child’s emotional and social development, whatever the connection with their canine friend might be.

Man’s best friend

Watch the following video :

 (DW English)

Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :

• Well behaved
• He does just as his mistress says
• Another dog snaps at the camera
• Man’s best friend
• Advice from the internet
• An authority figure
• Dog trainers are in demand
• More and more dog owners are seeking professional help for their pooches
• A dog handler license is in fact required
• They have to pass a test with their dogs
• Official qualifications
• Earn their title through a state examination
• Qualifications are no longer recognized
• The dog whisperer
• A multiple choice test
• Common standards for dogs and their handling
• Either man or beast
• An obedience school
• Some dogs hear but just don’t listen

Watch the following short film on friendship and loyalty posted on the Kindness Blog  :

Ben & Denali – A beautiful story of friendship and loyalty

“When someone you love walks through the door, even if it happens five times a day, you should go totally insane with joy.”