Fernie’s impact

Fernie the chocolate Labrador arrived in our lives in 2013.  We worked very closely with the charity ‘Dogs Helping Kids’ who offered a fantastic gold-standard training over a 3-year period which taught us all so much about positive training, canine welfare, and how to have an excellent dog in a school setting, assuming that the dog was comfortable in a busy school environment.  The standards were exacting and Fernie had a personality that was perfect for an active and buzzing school setting.  After a number of tough assessments, Fernie gained his certification.

Over the years he has done a sterling service for the pupils and staff of Winford Primary School in North Somerset, engaging in reading, therapeutic work and helped teach pupils to train positively.  

Aside from this, he has had his fair share of fame, appearing on BBC news, several National newspapers, This Morning and the best coverage of his role as a school dog was for the documentary ‘Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs’ in 2018.

How Fernie told us he was ready for retirement

Well, fast forward on to 2024…this was the year that Fernie turned 11 years old. I was aware of his aging, as his back legs were not as spritely as they once were and his love of working with children had started to wane.  This does not mean that his love of school had diminished- he was still waiting at our front door every day wanting to come to school, and when in the building, he was happy as ever, the signs were just that when he was offered training sessions with pupils, he chose the ‘stay in bed’ option, and sleep was more appealing than a stroll around the building (I know the feeling!!!).

He also chose not to climb our school stairs and only went upstairs if I offered him the option of going in the lift. 

Planning for transition 

During the past year, we have carefully considered that he would need to retire and that for both children and for Fernie, this would need to be done as a phased transition.  

His almost daily visits to school reduced to 3 days per week, then 2, then 1 day per week over several terms.  Our school pupils were fortunate in that we were also able to work with Tango, our other certified school dog and that Lenny, the Cocker Spaniel-in-training made visits once per week, so one dog per day was always in attendance.  

We made frequent references with pupils that Fernie was getting older and would have to retire one day.  We also coupled that with learning that old dogs can sometimes have aches and pains (like us) and we therefore need to be really mindful of this when near him.

We decided that Fernie should retire fully at Easter 2025, to coincide with my departure from the school.  We shared with pupils that this would be happening, and they were keen that his retirement should be marked.  A small number of pupils were selected for the official retirement photographs and we decided that he should have an assembly devoted to him!  

We established that most pupils would not have even been at school during his early years, so a celebration slide show was made for pupils charting his life from about 3 weeks old to his retirement, including all of his media attention in 2016/17/18.  

When this was played to the school community, along with a suitably emotive soundtrack, the school hall was filled with silence as children were in awe of him!  Not only that, but most staff were too, plus one or two with leaky eyes!

Since Easter, and he is very almost 12 years old, I think Fernie has understood that he was ready for retirement.  He is no longer waiting at the door and even though I am leaving the house for work each day, he is no longer asking to come along.  Instead he is enjoying a very well-earned rest at home, either on the sofa or on his favourite memory-foam dog bed.  He exercises at his own leisurely pace and really is ‘living the dream’!!! 

On reflection, I have so much to be thankful to Fernie for.  Over those years, he has taught me so much about effective training, welfare, kindness and how special and powerful that unique dog-human bond can really be.

Enjoy your retirement Fernie!