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Hometown Hero bv BEVERLY BURMEIER J • ■ : - m Teaching Clover Kids Makena Mailer, 4, loves the greeting he gets each morning at The Greenwood School, in Oak Hill, Texas. Waiting inside the door is Clover—a black Labrador retriev er —tail wagging and ready to play. Just tor a second, Clover gets a little too friendly. Makena calmly gives a command, “Sit," and Clover immediately responds. “1 like when she listens to me,” Makena says with a grin. Clover isn't an ordinary pet. The fun-loving 2-year-old Lib is in training to become a guide dog for the visually impaired. The children—ages 2 to s—at5 —at the home-based preschool help to enforce the rules of her specialized training. Supervising the interaction between dog and children is the school’s owner, Tracy Schagen, 46, who volunteers as a puppy raiser for San Antonio-based Guide Dogs of Texas Inc. Clover is her second dog; she plans to get another when Clover moves on to advanced training. A former biology teacher and textbook editor, Schagen left the corporate world to spend more time volunteering and influencing young lives. “Life in a cubicle didn't fulfill me.” she says. “I've volunteered since I was 14 years old and knew something was missing." She opened The Greenwood School in 2001. During the next year, Schagen was hit with “empty-nest syndrome." Her 15-year-old pet Labrador died, and her daugh ter headed off to college. Sex in after, Schagen saw a public > y Hriffli wmmm **" iS*** jJI % rfm; Aa y* jH g| V . &»**’*} -• 1 \ \ Jit c. V, - Tr *> •£ pf' ; i J ■ X ’ * v, IIP .. Xrv« *'.* . Tracy Schagen takes Clover for a training walk on the Texas Capitol grounds in Austin. glfv ? |®WSwiwpF- .^4»| £3k Om -JMHHOOB’. mw TfCTM * My? X 111 —"* ■k w H ■■■ <#, — l. V Av V television program about service dogs, and became interested in volunteering as a guide dog trainer. The raid to raising a guide dog puppy and teaching preschoolers wasn’t an easy one. While one requirement tor a puppy raiser is to introduce the dog to a variety of social settings, the guide dog organization wasn’t convinced that a preschool presented the kind ot stimulation it had in mind. But after interviewing Schagen and inspecting die school, the organization gave its stamp of approval. Schagen eagerly accepted the challenge of managing the children’s interaction with the puppy, and has proven that even very young children can contribute to the training program. But Clover knows that Schagen is “boss” and follows her com mands. In fact, children often are not aware that Clover looks to “Miss Tracy” for confirmation that she must obey a child’s command. “The kids think Clover is minding them, and that’s a great self-esteem boost,” Schagen says. In addition, she uses the process to teach children important life skills. For example, they learn that the dog must be submis sive to them. "We teach children to hold on to personal space and toy's in a way that is respectful of the puppy,” Schagen say's. “That carries over into how they treat each other.” They' also learn how to react if the large dog licks or nips at them, even playfully: The child is taught to stand up and “make himself big,” turn his back to the dog, and walk away. “I reas sure children that they have control over any situation,” Schagen (Continued on page 16) Photos by Ed Lnllo ♦www.americanprofile.com Page 12 a guide dog in "training, rests on the / playground after playing / with preschoolers at -Jf SjJThe Greenwood School ' £wn Oak Hill,Texas. fAv'