We had a special four-legged visitor on Thursday, and she had ALL of our tails wagging! Stacy Diaz, teacher at Walker Upper Elementary School, is the owner and handler of some very special dogs – and she shared one of these amazing pooches with us on Thursday morning in a special presentation.

Luna and Ms. Diaz travel to schools and throughout the community to share their message on how to help children feel safe, confident, and happy around dogs. I have had the pleasure of working with Luna, Ms. Diaz, and two of Ms. Diaz’s other therapy dogs (shout out to the lovely Pina and True! Hi guys!) during their time with Books on Bikes, and they both know how to make even the shyest of children giggle. You can see some evidence of Luna’s tail-wagging fun with Books on Bikes on the Books on Bikes Facebook page! Luna helps children of all ages and of all comfort levels to learn that dogs can be safe, friendly, and lovable.

During her visit to Johnson, Ms. Diaz taught us all about Luna, including some fun facts – Luna is a Pitbull, and she is deaf (she even takes commands from Ms. Diaz in sign language)! She explained that as a licensed therapy dog, Luna has a special job in the community. Then, Ms. Diaz taught students some tips and tricks on how to approach a dog that they might see in their neighborhood or walking around Charlottesville. Students even got a chance to try out their new pooch skills by petting Luna if they felt comfortable.

Check out this short video from Ms. Diaz’s visit to learn even more about Luna, pick up some tips on how to approach and pet dogs, and see some Johnson Leopards make Luna’s tail wag with happiness!

Thank you, Ms. Diaz, for sharing Luna and her special skills with us. We loved having you and look forward to working with you again soon!

Stacy Diaz has a B.A. in English and Spanish Literature, an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction: World Languages, and is “ABD” for a Ph.D in Educational Psychology. Her 16 years of teaching experience range from classes for 3 year-olds to graduate school students.  She currently holds a Spanish K-12 Post-Graduate teaching license with the Virginia Department of Education and is the lead teacher in a local elementary and middle school Spanish program that she started in 2008. (Source)
Learn more about Stacy, her dogs, and her Positive Reinforcement Based Training system here.