Australian Shepherd Dog Born Without Front Legs Teaches Acceptance to Virginia Students
An Australian Shepherd born without his front legs is helping Virginia students learn something bigger than reading and math, and his name is Tobi.
Paige Bradford, a special education teacher in Alexandria, Virginia, adopted Tobi after seeing his story online, and the two now work together to support students in the classroom and over video calls. What makes Tobi stand out is not just his unusual appearance, but the way students respond to him with curiosity, comfort, and acceptance.
His story has become a reminder that sometimes the best classroom lessons come from the sweetest surprises. Read on.
The Sweetest Dog.
Tobi quickly became part of the classroom routine.
"One of the things that was really fun was working on some of my students' goals while they were playing with Tobi because they didn't even notice they were doing hard work," Bradford told the outlet about the calming properties of her rescue dog.
"For example, one of my students had hemiparesis and had limited use of his right side. So, I brought him treats, and he had to use both hands to open the bag of treats and then use his right hand to pull out a treat and hand it to the dog. It was fun for Tobi and for my student."
Despite Not Being Able to Be Present in the Classroom as Much Recently, Tobi Continues to Be a Crucial Part of the Education of Bradford's Students Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.
"I actually taught one of my students the letters of the alphabet using Tobi as a reward. That's also how she learned the letter 'T,' because every time she found 'T,' she would get to call Tobi," she said. "I also used Tobi in a couple of writing units this year for persuasive writing as well as for procedural writing. My students wrote about how to give a dog a treat, and then we would practice with Tobi over the computer."
This is similar to two-legged dogs helping humans with amputations adapt after losing limbs.
Tobi Is Just the Cutest Dog.
Bradford adopted him years ago after reading an article on social media about the special needs shelter.
"I saw a news article about Tobi on Facebook, and they said that he would be put up for adoption after he adjusted to his cart," Bradford said. "I followed him for a few months and reached out to The Humane Society of North Texas, asking about the adoption process for an out-of-state adoption. Luckily, everything worked out, and I ended up picking him up in July 2018."
Soon after adopting Tobi, Bradford said the dog "has served as my pet, visited my students in the classroom, and made deep connections with them, and is now also serving as an emotional support animal."
Tobi was born missing his front legs as well as two ribs; the dog also has degenerative disk disease caused by the constant walking on his back legs. Despite all of that, Tobi doesn't let these health obstacles stop him from being the loving and happy dog he is. His whole life is dedicated to spreading love and hope.
That bond seems to have changed the whole classroom.
"One of the best things that has come out of Tobi being such a large part of our classroom community is acceptance," Bradford said. "The students in my class don't see Tobi as different or think that they should feel sorry for him because they see him as a really cute dog."
"At first, they asked a lot of questions and wanted to understand why he didn't have legs and why he was different, but I think having those conversations helped them to be more open-minded, and I can see that kind of acceptance in the way they interact with each other in the classroom," she continued.
Added Bradford: "My students, both with and without disabilities, interact with each other and have really rich and engaging discussions. They support each other, and they're kind to each other."
Want another inspiring bond, see how a blind Staffie became a lifelong guide.
Share this article:
