Arkansas National Guard veteran Mark Ross, of Hope, explained the "service dog" program for people with disabilities to students at Clinton Primary School recently. Ross' service dog, Snickers, is trained to warn him of pending narcolepsy episodes which are the result of concussive injuries sustained by Ross during service in Iraq. Ross said the dog, a poodle-Labrador retriever mix, is trained to be non-responsive to anyone but him. He said the dog is trained to act independently so that, should Ross suffer an episode, Snickers can either seek help or guard Ross. -- Ken McLemore, Hope Public Schools
