Seeing an animal roaming the school halls is unusual, especially when it’s a small, yellow labrador. But at Edina High School, sophomore Danny Martin and his service dog Napa are a regular duo of the halls.
Napa and Martin have been together since elementary school, and her primary job is to support Martin both physically and emotionally. “Napa does a really good job of helping him stay grounded,” Special Ed teacher Ian Andre-Knudsen said.
Napa accompanies Martin to many of his classes. Usually, she is attached to him with a leash. While at school, Napa is working, but at home with Martin, their relationship is just like that of any other owner and their dog. Martin is responsible for caring for Napa at home, and he said his favorite thing to do with her is to take her on walks. Napa is trained to know when she is working based on whether or not she is wearing her vest. “That’s why she’s so well-trained, because she knows that when she puts the vest on, she’s working,” Andre-Knudsen said.
Due to the unusualness of having a dog at school, Napa has made many bonds with people throughout the school. “All of my special education staff love Napa. They’ll come say hi [and] give her treats. Last year, she spent many of her lunch periods in the teachers’ lounge. The teachers would [feed] her carrots and apples. Those are her favorite things,” Andre-Knudsen said.
“The general rule is, when she’s not attached to Danny, people can pet her,” he added.
A recent transition that Martin, Napa, and his family have been making is giving Martin more independence by changing the amount of time that he spends with Napa. “[There’s] been an increase in independence, and therefore increased separation from Napa,” Andre-Knudsen said.
One way that this has been implemented is through Martin attending band without her, which is also partially due to her older age. “She is eight or nine [years old] already. [Danny’s family] think a whole school day is hard for a dog of her age, and so they’re unsure if they would get another service dog or try to have Danny live on a day-to-day basis without a service dog,” Andre-Knudsen said.
