Reflections of Red at school

She spent time socializing with children and had a profound affect on a few.

All year it was a struggle to get Alex to do his work. I knew he was a smart kid, but he could rarely get it down on paper. In Red, he found a true friend and she brought out the best in him. With her arrival, his distracted/disruptive behavior seemed to disappear. I'd found his motivation and was impressed when he received the highest score on the end of the year reading assessment.

Ryder, who is half blind and full of personality had an instant connection with the tiny puppy with hair the same color as his. He'd walk right up to her pen and say, "Good morning Red," then ask me if he could take her for a walk. Watching the two of them together was nice to see, making me wish I already had her trained in assistance work at the beginning of my year with Ryder.

Paige seemed tuned into Red in a way I had not seen her with any of her classmates. She's the kind of student that usually hangs out by herself because her imaginary world doesn't have much room for others. In Red, she made a connection with a being that did not think her strange and loved her for the million stuffed animals in her storage space.

Abby is someone that I give Red a lot of credit helping because I saw eye contact from her much more in the last three weeks of school. I had seen her eyes so rarely, it surprised me a bit to see her much more comfortable in our environment with Red at school.



These are only a few of the students Red touched during her time in the classroom this year. She learned to be around a large group of students and they learned some responsibility skills of taking care of a dog. The first time Red pooped in front of them, I got a bag and picked it up. It amazed me that this was a completely new sight for most of them. We discussed it when we returned to the room and many confessed that they never thought of anyone picking up poop after a dog.

Dogs are great teachers and wonderful teaching tools. I think Red's three weeks in the classroom were a value to us all.

Tommy and Fyn's New Friend

The newest member of the Lucky family will arrive in our home in three weeks. She is an Irish Terrier puppy that will be nine weeks old when we go to pick her up. Fyn stepped right up to the crate and said, "Hi doggies." Red will be joining us and our two kitties, Max and Lucky.


Fifteen years ago, I noticed the Irish Terrier breed for the first time. I'd returned from Ireland and went to school to become a dog trainer. As I was looking at pictures to learn dog breeds in my American Kennel Club book, Ireland was much in my thoughts as I came across the image. I remember thinking, "that's a cute dog," but I had Galt, my golden retriever, so I was not in the market for a dog.


Three years ago, Galt and my other dog, Dobie, both passed away within a couple months of each other. We found out Victoria was pregnant about a month after losing Galt. A dog would have to wait, a baby was on the way.


Our son, Fyn, turned two earlier this year and has brought us so much joy. He's been entertaining and we've enjoyed watching him interact with Max and Lucky. For me, it has been strange being without a dog. I kept thinking the right dog would find me when the time was right.

We received a phone call a few weeks ago from a friend's aunt that had a litter of Irish Terrier puppies available. We went to see the puppies and decided that this puppy would make a nice addition to our family. To borrow a quote from Fyn, "I am happy."

Meeting Amarach Dearg/Little Red Stories

Traveling to meet the newest member of our family. We found a puppy to be a part of our life. Another addition to help tell stories the world longs to hear. A love story of a family that has grown with each addition and loss. Two dogs, two kitties, two people becomes one child, two adults and one dog, two kitties. Three people and three pets our family becomes.