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Earlier in the year, we welcomed sweet and lovable, Martha, to our District 54 family and community.  Martha has indeed melted our hearts as well as provided a strong comfort that anyone she comes in contact with can truly understand!  Children and adults alike look forward to Mondays, the day Martha most often accompanies her owner and our beloved teacher, Mrs. Trudy DesLauriers. “Mondays with Martha” has become a much anticipated day at Morris Elementary!  Mrs. DesLauriers’ daughter even created a blog dedicated to these special  Mondays with Martha.  You can check out the link here! Mondayswithmarthablog.wordpress.com  As Martha walks down the White Oak hall with Mrs. DesLauriers, no one can avoid taking a moment out of their busy day to visit with the gentle pup.  Most everyone leaves her with a calm and peaceful attitude, and quite possibly a few kisses.  

5 ½ year old Martha is one of three golden retriever dogs currently owned by Mrs. DesLauriers, her husband, Kim, and their children Marc and Jackie.  The family has a long lived love for the gentle breed, owning many over the years.  Mr. DesLauriers, who is also the principal of Immaculate Conception School, has entertained many generations of students and families with talent shows and visits from their beloved dogs over the years.  

When the family adopted Martha, they knew she was special.  They decided to look into training her to be a therapy dog.  Martha has earned her American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen and Canine Good Citizen Advanced obedience titles.  She earned her therapy dog team certification through Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs as well as the AKC.  Martha's therapy dog training involved a great deal of practice in remaining calm in loud and unpredictable environments, especially in hospitals and nursing homes, greeting strangers appropriately, calm indoor behavior with many people around, and responding to commands on and off leash.

Martha has worked for over a year and a half visiting Park Pointe Assisted Living here in Morris.  The folks there love Martha dearly and she just happened to be the star guest once at the birthday party of a 100 year old lady friend.   Martha has also visited ICS on several occasions to help Mr. DesLauriers  be a guest reader in kindergarten and preschool classes. She also loves to join the entire school in their annual Halloween parade!

One of Martha’s favorite things to do is join Mrs. DesLauriers’ classes to encourage them to read more!  She has visited numerous times in Mrs. Garcia’s library and at the many book fairs as well.  Martha has also been more than willing  to help any students that might benefit from a soft shoulder and a willing and gentle listener.  

Martha’s District 54 family loves her so much that they put together a big birthday celebration for her in May!  Children were encouraged to write her birthday cards as well as visit with her on her special day!  We give much thanks to Martha and Mrs. D. for the many hours of special love and attention that Martha is able to provide every week!  Thank you!

Please remember to check out Jackie DesLauriers’ blog!  Mondayswithmarthablog.wordpress.com