A group of Silver Cluster students had a special visitor this week to help them learn about animal rights.
Room 601 welcomed Ella, the three-legged pup, to their classroom, along with her mom, Dr. Kim Spanjol. Dr. Spanjol is a behavior analyst and counselor who works with many students at Gaynor.
Dr. Spanjol is also an animal advocate, and she came to talk with the students about a new law that some advocates are trying to pass in New York that would prohibit animal dissection and chick-hatching projects in classrooms.
Head Teacher Jane Moskowitz said, “Dr. Spanjol brought her pup Ella with her, since she is a trained therapy dog and was actually my foster pup about a year ago! Dr. Spanjol saw my posts about Ella on social media when my husband and I were fostering her last summer, and she just cou
ld not resist. The students loved meeting Ella and hearing about her story.”
Students learned about how Ella was found in a box on the side of the road in Dallas, Texas, and how she was in such bad shape that she had to have one of her legs amputated.
“Students were inspired to see how, despite her challenging beginnings, Ella walks and runs perfectly and absolutely adores all humans,” Ms. Moskowitz said.