Students built care kits for rescue dogs and veterans

Students at The Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati spent Veterans Day collecting supplies for rescue dogs and the veterans who will take them home. They partnered with the local chapter of Veteran Companion Animal Services, gathering food, leashes and other essentials for pairings still to come. At a Wednesday assembly, veteran Craig Gearns arrived with his rescue dog, Cookie, to thank the children in person. Cookie, for her part, attended the assembly as the guest of honor and the subject of considerable attention. Last year the students assembled 10 care kits and turned the drive into a classroom competition, which apparently went well enough that they asked to do it again. "They are so enthused to be helping out both dogs and veterans," said Vickie Lassandro of VCAS Cincinnati, "and we are happy to see how proud they were of last year's donation drive." The kits go to families welcoming a rescue dog into the house.