ARCHBALD, Pa. -- How do teachers get through to their students about the importance of Veterans Day?
One teacher in Lackawanna County thought puppies might do the trick.
The demonstration at the Valley View School District was a Veteran's Day lesson in disguise.
"Everybody loves dogs. So I thought, these are 12, 13, and 14-year-olds, to have someone just speak up there would not gain their interest and they would not learn about Veterans Day. I thought if we had the dogs here it would be an added interest for them," said 8th-grade civics teacher Norine Legg.
Legg had the idea when she discovered the charity America's Vet Dogs. The organization trains Labradors and Golden Retrievers to be companions for veterans.
America's Vet Dogs brought the newest recruits to meet the kids. Licorice, Pax, and Chuckie showed off what they've learned which will one day help their veteran companions.
"We initially train them to pick up objects, to sit, stay, heel, go under tables, turn on lights, take off covers," said Eric Ferrante from America's Vet Dogs.
A dog will love you no matter what, the future service dogs can show how we humans can be better at loving our veterans.
"I just think that everybody should recognize how important it is to honor those that have sacrificed so much for our civil liberties, freedoms, things like that. And I often say, thank a veteran every day, it means a lot," said James Marsico, a dog trainer and US Navy veteran.
The Veterans Day assembly was coupled with a fundraiser for America's Vet Dogs. You can learn more about the organization here.