Perrysburg couple recalls fostering Ability Center puppy, encourages others to do the same
What started as a tour of the Ability Center resulted in a “happy accident” for Perrysburg resident Michaela Straw and her family. Mrs. Straw, who’s a reading specialist for Fort Meigs Elementary School, saw the positive impact the school’s facility dog, provided by the Ability Center, was making on students and decided she wanted to help with training puppies for the organization. “Our school facility dog is in a training program through the Ability Center,” she said. “I had talked to our [dog] handler at the school and I said, ‘If you ever need someone to babysit the dog or need help [let me know]. What is the process?’ She’s like, ‘Well, you would have to go through the Ability Center and go through training.’” She toured the Ability Center after that conversation and in July found herself taking home Wanda, a “very cute” black Labrador retriever, to foster and train through the organization’s Puppy Raisers program.