May 17, 2018, WBUR 90.9 Boston: Franklin The Service Dog 'Provides A Real Calm' At Medfield School http://www.wbur.org/edify/2018/05/17/franklin-service-dog-medfield-school His name is Franklin. He's a 3-year-old golden retriever-yellow lab mix. Since Franklin came to the elementary school early last year, he's become a beloved fixture and a hard worker. He's a service dog. So when he's in school, he's on the job. He's at the school to calm kids when they're anxious and even soothe teachers who are having a tough day. And he serves in ways his owner didn't anticipate. "You know, I thought I had a good idea on the effect that he would have. But what I've learned through working with him every day and seeing him interact is his power is far more pervasive than I ever thought imaginable," says Kelley Kennedy, a special education teacher at Wheelock. She adopted Franklin from the service dog organization NEADS, in Princeton. NEADS has placed dogs in 15 schools across the state. That's about 70 percent more assistance dogs than were placed five years ago.
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