Nashoba Tech Wins $10K Grant For Dog Training Area

WESTFORD, MA — Nashoba Valley Technical High School will have an outdoor area to teach students to learn how to train dogs, thanks to a $10,125 grant from the Westford Education Foundation.

The Veterinary Assisting program staff applied for the Innovative Grant from the nonprofit, and program instructor Kate Hawkins said without it the training area would not be possible.

The area which is adjacent to a small building on the campus that once served as the Dance and Art Studio, will be 45 feet by 90 feet, and the studio will be converted to be part of the training area.

Nashoba Tech's director of curriculum Gabriella White wrote in the application that the space will include an outdoor dog training area with special turf to allow students to train dogs for obedience, agility, and service.

"Increasing the time students can spend outdoors is beneficial in light of the current worldwide pandemic, and this training facility ...will open new avenues for future certifications and employment opportunities for the students," White wrote. "Dog adoptions have been on the rise in the last several months, creating a growing demand for obedience training. There is also the need for a wide variety of service animals of all types, and students could help satisfy this need."

In addition to the grant, Liam Reed of Pepperell, a junior in the Veterinary Assisting program, is hoping to supply and install fencing around the training area as his Eagle Scout project.