JERSEY SHORE, Pennsylvania — Children in a Pennsylvania school district get an extra friendly face when crossing the street: Patches the dog.
Patches follows his owner Brad Curtis wherever he goes, and that includes Curtis’ job as a crossing guard, WNEP reported.
The 5-year-old Maltipoo even has his own safety vest.
“One of the kids suggested that he should also have a vest and a stop sign,” Curtis told WNEP. “His grandma Patricia whipped that up for him.”
The style change was a hit with local residents and school children alike.
“He didn’t wear it at first, but then I was like, ‘Oh, my word, look at that outfit!’” said Rosie Weymouth, who works near the duo’s post. “That’s what kills everybody I think.”
“He’s just like a mascot to Jersey Shore,” she added.
Kids like having a furry friend help them cross a busy intersection.
“Well, it’s a cute dog with that little stop sign on it, and it looks really, really cute, and it also looks like a poodle,” fourth-grader Landon Mincer said.
Curtis, a retired crossing guard, has been a crossing guard for two years. He said Patches will accompany him until weather worsens in the winter.