At Old Mill Road, a furry friend teaches patience and boundaries

A special guest at Old Mill Road School in the North Merrick School District was met with students’ hard-to-contain excitement as they saw them step through their classroom door. Instead of a two-legged visiting speaker, however, the guest walked in on all fours. 

Bali the service dog makes regular visits to classrooms at Old Mill Road to teach students how to interact with a service dog and values such as patience and respect for boundaries. Brought in by Joy Marchese, who is the mother of second grader Chloe, Bali is adept at recognizing signs of emotional distress and supporting her owner in times of need. As students sat in a circle to welcome Bali, they learned to ask for the owner’s permission before petting a dog and to be patient and wait their turn. Bali, Joy explained, is just like any person who can get overwhelmed from too much attention. They also learned about the important role of a service dog that is trained to have responsibilities beyond the average house dog. 

Bali spends time with classrooms throughout the building during routine visits on Fridays. Classes spend time reading to Bali as they take turns around a circle. In Chloe’s class, each student creatively brainstormed a sentence to add to an imaginative story about Bali.