Calais School Animal Assisted Interventions’ (AAI) dog Orbit is already a star at The Calais School, but now he is also a television star.

Orbit, who is loved by all of the school’s staff and students, recently appeared in an episode of the NBC medical drama “New Amsterdam”.

Orbit, who is very modest about all of his accomplishments, had a very small part in the February 11 episode “In the Graveyard” with lead actor Ryan Eggold, who plays the hospital’s medical director Max Goodwin. During the episode, Eggold introduces Orbit and another dog to patients in the hospital’s new palliative care wing as the unit’s new animal therapy dogs and the patients begin loving and petting both dogs. Orbit is probably on screen for less than a minute more than 23 minutes into the episode. Orbit’s handler Susan Greenbaum noted that before she came to work at The Calais School, she would train her dogs to perform in television shows and commercials. Since she began working with her dogs at The Calais School, she has not pursued many acting roles for her dogs. Greenbaum’s dogs Dunkin, Gideon and Orbit take turns visiting students at The Calais School.

The school’s AAI program was developed to meet the complex and varying needs of children with special needs in a school environment. Our highly trained team of dogs and handlers are effective in dealing with the clinical and emotional situations that may arise. They work in conjunction with therapists to provide safety, security, and support to students as they work to achieve their therapeutic and academic goals. Our areas of intervention include: Animal Assisted Therapies, Animal Assisted Education and Animal Assisted Activities. The Calais Foundation generously supports the school’s AAI program.

The dog and handler teams receive special training to assist with facilitation of therapies, alongside an occupational therapist, speech pathologist, reading specialist, teacher, social worker or counselor. Each dog interaction is documented and assessed to provide feedback used by therapists, teachers and dog handles to modify goals and strategies.

Orbit can be viewed in the episode here at this link.