PhDog, Year 2

It was now the 2015-2016 school year and things really started kicking in to high gear! I was studying hard!

Mommy said I really needed to get into the classroom and teach a little. I wasn’t so sure, but she insisted. We decided on a co-teach model. Mommy did most of the teaching. She said I was there to implement a “behavior management strategy.” Our students were in school learning to become teachers and were studying different ways to manage their classrooms. Mommy said animals in the classroom can really bring the learning environment to life. My job was to make sure the students used their “inside voices.” If they got a little bit too loud during their activities I would give one big, “Woof.” This is called an "attention getter." Mommy would use my “woof” as the signal to let the class know they were getting too loud. I wasn’t sure about this plan, so I just sat in my stroller looking pretty while Mommy did her thing. Once she got class going and got the kids involved in an activity, I saw exactly what she was talking about! Those millennials can get pretty talkative! I stood up in my stroller and gave a big, “WOOF!” And do you know it actually worked?! Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me! Mommy took that opportunity to remind them to use their “inside voices.” After a while, I decided I should take the opportunity to do some research so I covered my head with my blankey and went to sleep. I could use this data in my sleep study!

At the end of class, Mommy let me tell about my research agenda.

Then after class was dismissed, she let me have some time on campus to check out the squirrel situation. Let me tell you, the University of South Florida definitely has a “squirrel” situation! They are everywhere!

Then we drove around campus and Mommy let me hang my head out the window. I love feeling the breeze in my ears!

The rest of that year went pretty fast! I met some colleagues for lunches. My favorite was collaborating with Rosie and her human scholar Monica. Monica is now Dr. Gonzalez and Rosie is a PhDog with her at the University of Hawaii!

That's me and Mommy on the left and Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Rosie Dog on the right.

Mommy got to present at a couple of conferences. One was in Washington D.C. I wasn’t allowed to go, but Mommy did bring back a Washington D.C. squirrel for me!

She also went to a conference in Germany. I was really upset that I didn’t get to go on this trip, but I did get a little extra data collected when the suitcases came out.

All in all, it was a productive year! I studied, I taught, I researched, and socialized!

Hard at work conducting sleep studies!

Luvs and Lix,

Sophia

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