MORGANTOWN — You’ll have to forgive Ruby.
She’s over it.
You see, she’s awaiting the results of a pregnancy test.
If that’s not stressful enough, now they got her up here in front of the class with Walker, who’s known to be mouthy in the best of times.
But that’s all part of the gig when you’re a service dog in training with the Hearts of Gold program, which focuses on education, training and research of service dogs.
The dogs ultimately leave the program to become companions for individuals with mobility impairment and/or post traumatic stress disorder.
Ruby is a two-year old Labrador, Pyrenees, Poodle mix — or as Savannah Connelly describes her, a Pyradoodledor.
Ruby and Connelly, a trainer with Hearts of Gold, joined Walker (the mouthy one-year-old Golden Retriever) and Lindsay Parenti, director of program operations for Hearts of Gold, in addressing the Special Education in Contemporary Society class being taught by Kay Jones on Monday in Percival Hall.
Jones said she wanted the students to get comfortable with the idea of service dogs as it’s likely they will encounter them in the classroom. The course is a requirement for a West Virginia teaching certificate.
Parenti and Connelly walked through the difference in access and federal protections between service animals — ponies are the only other animals that can have the “service” designation — therapy dogs and emotional support animals.
While both Ruby and Walker are still fairly young in their training, both demonstrated a number of ways in which dogs can assist the disabled in navigating through their day-to-day lives.
While the stars of the show made their way through the students, collecting treats, complements and general affection, Parenti explained how WVU students can get involved in the program.
Hearts of Gold and the university work together on a series of courses in which students get a full understanding of everything from canine behavior and health to service dog development and laws to hands-on training.
“Mostly, I think the biggest draw is the actual training courses where you learn the behavioral science behind why we train the way we do, the methods we use and the actual lab where you get to train one of these guys,” Parenti said.
Like Ruby, who’s as sweet as she is stubborn.
“All her pants are sassy pants,” laughed Connelly.
