Students at Felix Varela Senior High School are helping stray dogs find forever homes but before they go home, they’re enrolled in Varela's SPOTS Dog Training Program.
The program started about seven years ago in collaboration with a Miami vet who was shocked by the number of abandoned animals she saw while working at a local animal shelter.
"We have a dog training program where we get to work with certified positive reinforcement trainers. They work with us every Saturday. We have an obedience class with all these rescue dogs, they were strays or tied up by a chain...they each have their own unique trainer they get to take home and bond with them", said Jordanne Yunis, Junior at Varela Vet Academy.
In the meantime, SPOTS also serves a great purpose for students.
"At the end of the training semester we go through a test called the "AKCK9 Good Citizen", all the skills that we have learned. They pass and they get adopted. They go through whatever training they want to put their dog in , it's just a really good experience", said Yunis.
