AUSTIN, Texas —
For most people, when they see a furry friend, their first thought is to pet them.
It's always important to ask the owner for permission first. But for some service or emotional support animals, the answer is going to be no.
That answer can be hard for younger kids to take.
On Tuesday morning, a security officer took his service animal to Harmony School of Science - Austin to show students what to do if they encounter an animal who is on the job.
School Security Officer Lieutenant Alexander Kingston introduced them to his service dog, Kano.
"Basically, what he does for me is that I have PTSD, so when I'm having nightmares or whatever it may be, he nudges my hand or jumps upon me to wake me up to make sure that I'm okay," Kingston said.
He also gave the students a crash course on how to navigate those interactions.
"When they approach a service animal, one of the most important things that they have to remember is just because you see the service animal, if it's not working, it's still doing its job," Kingston said. "You also have to ask the owner or the operator if it's perfectly OKto pet that animal."
Jearnal Lee-Williams, the Student Success and Engagement Coordinator for Harmony School of Science, planned the assembly for the students. She said it's an important lesson the students needed to learn.
"We want to focus not just on academics here at Harmony School of Science. We also want to make sure that we focus on their social and emotional well-being," Lee-Williams said. "So, with that being said, we wanted to create an opportunity for the students to learn about service animals versus emotional support animals and just understand the different tasks and responsibilities that they have, as well as, you know, just how to approach them when they are out in public."
This was the school's second assembly with Kingston and Kano. Tuesday's event was for third through fifth graders. A few weeks ago, the duo came to speak to kindergartners through second graders.