Lambert’s faculty is continuing to grow as another new therapy dog has been added to the mix to relieve anxiety and bring joy to the students and teachers!

Rules each student should follow when with a therapy dog:

• Ask before petting
• Students shouldn’t feed them
• Have good sanitation
• Ideally, sit down before petting
• Say “off” instead of “down”

The one-year-old Yellow Lab (but more specifically fox red) is named Gunner, and he is owned by Mrs. Parker who teaches AP Psychology. 

Mrs. Parker got Gunner at about eight weeks old, and since his birthday was in February, he is a little over a year old. He also started therapy dog training at almost a year old. Gunner was originally a farm dog in Tennessee before he was adopted; he is described as a very disciplined, trustworthy and laid-back dog. When asked if she initially planned on having Gunner become a therapy dog, she said: 

“Well, because we’d already gone through the process with Charlie, we knew that that could be a possibility,” Mrs. Parker explained. “But really, we just wanted a playmate at home.”

If a student would like to meet with Gunner, it should be known that Charlie, Gunner’s sister, and another therapy dog at Lambert, alternate days. 

“So he is here on the same business as Charlie where he stays in the classroom and he comes and just hangs out with AP psych classes,” Mrs. Parker says. “He visits as Charlie does in the other AP Psych classes, and we haven’t ventured out with him as much as Charlie to other teachers’ classes.”

If students happen to catch her in the hallway, they should feel free to come say hello, or they could also swing by Mrs. Parker’s classroom, room 2866, in between classes. 

Although Mrs. Parker hasn’t made an Instagram account for Gunner yet, you can see him featured on the other LHS therapy dogs’ Instagrams!