Canine 'Cavalier' Roo celebrates 1st birthday posing for yearbook picture at Kiski Area High School
A Kiski Area School District therapy dog was ready for her closeup Wednesday during picture day in the high school library.
Roo, a 1-year-old deaf therapy dog, joined the Kiski Area staff in January after being adopted by Superintendent Misty Slavic.
“She’s the sweetest thing when she roams the hall,” student Camryn Kunz said.
Roo celebrated turning 1 on Sunday with a pup cake and presents.
The yearbook staff decided to include Roo in the 2023-24 faculty section of the yearbook, and Roo posed like a pro for her picture, Slavic said.
“She’s not the first dog to appear in a Kiski yearbook. We had Sampson, a student service dog, in 1991,” Slavic said.
Roo travels to campus weekly with Slavic and frequents all six district schools.
On Aug. 24, the first day of school, Roo mingled with students and staff, welcoming them back on campus, unfazed by the massive amounts of petting, attention and hugs received from everyone.
This week, Roo helped Slavic pass out Popsicles.
Roo is the district’s first full-time therapy dog and joined the staff in January. Slavic serves as Roo’s handler and pays for all of Roo’s care.
Roo was adopted from Tiny Cause, a nonprofit rescue in Vandergrift.
Slavic said providing canine comfort on campus has been well-received.
“It’s great when you see Roo interact with kids that maybe are having a rough day,” Slavic said.
Roo is completely deaf and responds to hand signals.
“I wanted to help the students, and this is a simple way to do it,” Slavic said.
Fans of Roo can follow her campus adventures on her Instagram account at roo_the_therapy_dog_kasd.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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