Newtown Police Department K-9 Officer Felicia Figol, Officer Matt Hayes, and K-9 Aris visited Fraser Woods Montessori School on December 4 to share some of Aris’s abilities during two school assemblies.

For the assembly with younger students, Officer Figol said she demonstrated some of Aris’s ball work. For the older students, Officer Figol spoke about some of the ways Aris works for the Newtown Police Department, and Officer Hayes wore a protective sleeve to help demonstrate how Aris can run to bite the sleeve on command.

Officer Figol told the older students that Aris has had “hundreds and hundreds” of hours of training, he can find things with his sense of smell, and he can run up to 32 miles per hour. A K-9 officer needs to know when and where to send a K-9 and the appropriate circumstances, Officer Figol told the students.

Students also asked a range of questions. To one question, Officer Figol said she loves her job. Later, she explained that Aris’s favorite thing in the world is his ball.

Aris walked around the room to meet each of the students, sniffing as he trotted around the room while being escorted by Officer Figol.

According to Officer Figol, meeting students helps Aris learn about different environments while introducing him to members of the community.