Three-year-old therapy dog Baker spends his days in the Lincoln counselor’s office. He enjoys swimming, running, cross country skiing and chasing balls. His beagle-hound sister Mocha and him love to wrestle. 

Lincoln counselor Jason Breaker adopted Baker, an Australian Labradoodle, at eight-weeks-old from a breeder in Southern Oregon. Baker will be turning four at the end of March.

“He’s had a wonderful temperament since he was a little guy. I worked at [Ida B. Wells] when I got him in March, and he started going to school with me right away,” Breaker said. “I have pictures of him as a little guy laying below my desk at the school. That wasn’t in the frame of a therapy dog, but just getting him socialized around people.”

Baker went through standard obedience training for a dog, but Breaker made the decision to officially train him as a therapy dog during quarantine. 

“The training is just as much about him as it is about me, the handler. I have to be conscious of making sure he’s taken care of, too. He gets breaks, and he gets time off from kids,” Breaker said. “When a dog goes through therapy dog training, they get a rating and the owner also get a score. So we’re in it as a team.”

At school, Baker is a resource for students. According to Breaker, he is really good at determining when students are anxious and can act as a source of relaxation. 

“I feel like he gets when students are anxious ,and he’ll gravitate towards a student and actually make contact and lean into them,” Breaker said. “It’s not just the kids I’m the counselor for that come in to see him, but I have kids from other counselors that will pop in. It’s been a great bridge for me to get to know students.”

Sophomore Monica Gibson often walks Baker around school and feels safer when he’s around. She takes him to different classrooms to stretch his legs and says he enjoys receiving all the pets from students.

“My favorite thing about having Baker at school is the anchor he provides. When I have a rough day, he’s always up for a walk around campus. You can’t not be happy around him,” she said. 

In addition to hanging out with students, Baker also loves a good snack. His favorites include vegetables, specifically carrots, and any type of nut. Breaker describes him as a “patient beggar” who will wait under the table for any scrap of food to drop. 

Baker can be found in the counselor’s office, and is always up for some pets.