By Monty Siekerman
Kindergarten children at Ada Elementary read to puppies on Monday afternoon.

Several dogs travel from the campus to the Ada Schools each week to be read to by the children in Mrs. Megan Kosier’s class.

For several years, an ONU group known as Polar Paws trains puppies to be service dogs. The canines accompany the college students to classes, live in residence halls, go to the dining hall, attend events...even listen to kindergartner youngsters read to them.

After learning a lot about socialization and basic commands while at ONU, the dogs then attend an advanced school to learn to be helpful service dogs for people with a variety of disabilities. Currently, there are 8 dogs-in-training at ONU.

Pictured from left are Megan Kerr with Olive, a yellow lab; Allison Ditch with Edwena, a golden lab retriever; Katy Avers with Allegra, a golden retriever; and Jenna Deininger with Cosmos, a Newfoundland/retriever mix.