EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The halls of Middle Smithfield Elementary are lined with students anxiously awaiting the arrival of a special graduate.
The graduate has four legs. Meet Toby, the therapy dog.
"I came down to say congratulations to Toby since I met him. He was a pretty cool dog; I want him so bad; he's so cool," said senior Nashod Palmer.
At five years old, Toby has officially graduated from the Love on A Leash Therapy Dog Program.
His owner, Susan Kulick, says they adopted Toby from a rescue.
"He was found in a pipe with his sisters. We had lost our dogs four days before, and we adopted him because the house was way too empty," said Kulick.
The East Stroudsburg Area School District was looking to bring a therapy dog to its students. Toby got his training hours by spending time at the elementary schools.
"We understand the value of animal-assisted activities and the research behind it. But because we cover 250 square miles, it's a bit of a challenge to find dogs, owners, and handlers to come to all of our ten schools," said Dr. Tabitha Bradley, Director of elementary education.
Toby's handlers say not every dog is cut out for a job like this, but his qualifications will make him a perfect addition to the schools.
"He's very laid back, very calm he's definitely a people dog and very friendly," said Kulick.
"Not every dog can do this, there's crowds around him, petting him. Not every dog would be able to do that, it takes a special dog," said David J. Hennon, owner of University of Pets.
Of course, no graduation celebration is complete without a cake. The life skills class had the honor of baking one for Toby.
"He was very happy; He was so happy he ate it, and it kinda spilled on the floor a little bit. But he liked it, he actually liked it," said Palmer.