By Megan Kelley

Review Writer

In November of 2018, the Pine Tree Center went Cruising for Paws with the help of Lake Orion Sunrise Rotary Club to raise money for the purchase and training of a therapy dog.

Fast forward to Feb. 12 at 7 p.m., Director of Special Education showed off the fruits of their labor, a nearly one-year-old black lab named Winnie.

With the help of trainer Fred Saber, Gutman was able to present the board the Pine Tree Center’s service dog for the first time.

Gutman expects that come May, Winnie will go to stay with the host family. After two weeks, if everything is going well, Winnie will be ready to start working half days at the center.

As things progress and she gets more acclimated with her surroundings, she is expected to eventually be able to work full days.

Staff will also need to undergo training in order to effectively give her commands in the classroom environment.

“It’s actually the district’s therapy dog. But in this building she’s just going to be helping support students in different ways,” Gutman explained. “Maybe reading to the dog, emotional support when you’re not feeling so hot.”

According to Gutman, the district and Pine Tree Center raised about $7,000 in order to purchase and train Winnie.