Over the past several weeks, students at Westlawn have had an occasional four-legged furry classmate in their midst: Scotty! Scotty is fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Lambert’s certified therapy dog, and he has been making visits to her classroom to spread joy and relaxation to students and staff.

Mrs. Lambert rescued Scotty when he was about six months old, and it quickly became obvious that he was special. Unlike many dogs, Scotty was entirely unphased by being touched, loud noises, or strangers. Upon adopting the boisterous Bear two years later, Mrs. Lambert looked into therapy dog certification for Scotty so that he wouldn’t be overlooked as the quieter of the two.

Despite his relatively young age, Scotty passed the therapy dog test with flying colors, and was inducted into the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. In order to keep his certification, Mrs. Lambert must take Scotty on a therapy visit at least once every three months. About once per month he visits Goodwin House, a retirement community, where he spreads joy to the residents. He is particularly fond of any resident who might drop crumbs in his vicinity, which he is more than happy to clean up.

While Scotty enjoys his visits to Goodwin House, he also loves kids. His visits to Westlawn show that the feeling is mutual--just look at the photos! He has been helping in classrooms as a good listener, patient companion, and enthusiastic math partner, even if he doesn’t quite grasp the numerical concepts. When he isn’t on duty as a therapy dog, Scotty enjoys chewing on toys and going on hikes with Mrs. Lambert and her husband.

We love having Scotty visit Westlawn, and hope to see him again soon!