An extra vertebrae stood between Flint and a real job.

KINGSTON — It’s no small feat to send a permission slip home on Friday afternoon with 27 9-and 10-year-olds and have all 27 slips returned the following Monday.

But when the incentive is high enough, it’s amazing how well fourth-graders can remember.

At the beginning of September, Gordon Elementary fourth grade teacher Mel Gallup told his students if they returned all the slips on Monday a special friend would come to class on Tuesday.

The friend came, and stayed.

Meet Flint, a stocky, blocky-head, gentle yellow lab, who sleeps and sighs quietly on a giant yellow, blue and cream pillow beneath the window.

Flint’s the class pet for Gallup’s students, a definite step up from the traditional turtle, mouse, lizard or rabbit.

“I think it’s cool because I have two cats and I’ve always wanted a dog so it’s really fun with Flint in the class,” said Chelsea Alberts.

Gallup said he wanted a dog, but he wanted a companion he could bring to school. He was advised to inquire about getting a guide dog. So he went through the application process with an organization in Boring, Ore. North Kitsap School District permission and a two-hour phone interview with the Oregon organization later, Gallup made the trek to Boring to meet and bring home Flint. Flint was trained to be a guide dog, however, an additional vertebrae prevented him from fulfilling the job.

“Flint is a licker and a sniffer and he puts his head on your knees,” Gallup said. “He’s real lovable.”

Flint also has some peculiar habits, just ask the students who love on him daily.

“He loves to eat out of the garbage can,” Chelsea said.

“Flint only eats out of two bowls, if Mr. Gallup gives him a different bowl he won’t eat out of it,” Michael Lynch said of the quirky class pet.

“Don’t let Flint near weed whackers, he jumps and stuff,” Maxwell Husley said.

“Flint is much stronger than Mr. Gallup. He can pull Mr. Gallup,” Alexandra Fischer said.

And he’s only barked once, and to keep it that way a poster hangs on the white board that reads, “I will not bark in class.”

While Flint is fun to have around and is an uber-special class pet for the fourth-graders at Gordon, just like the good dog that he is, Flint teaches the students some valuable educational lessons that go far beyond core curriculum subjects.

Namely responsibility and how to care for a living being.

“I like that Mr. Gallup knows we’re responsible enough to have a class pet and have him walk around,” Riley Burns said.

On the white board under the heading “Flint Jobs” are a list of duties and student’s names to accompany those duties. The jobs change week on a volunteer basis with a little equality control so all the students get a chance to help out.

“They’re in high demand, everybody wants a Flint job,” Gallup said.

There’s the morning walkers who take Flint out during morning recess, the H2O post keeps Flint’s water bowl full, the afternoon walkers take Flint out during afternoon recess, two afternoon groomers brush Flint’s belly and back — in a drawer above Flint’s pillow is where the two brushes are kept — the afternoon bed cleaner shakes Flint’s bed off outside while he’s being groomed, and the afternoon vacuumer keeps Flint’s area clean.

The first week Flint came to class Gavin Veilleux was charged with being a groomer, and his experience taught him a valuable lesson in responsibility.

“I quit because I thought it was too much to handle,” Gavin bravely shared with the whole class. “And I had to wait for three to four weeks before I could get another job, and that taught me not to quit, to learn more and be responsible for my actions.”

Two boys, Maxwell and Nolan Platz take Flint on a one-and-half-mile run every morning around 9:05 a.m. before school starts, to calm him down.

Gallup said Flint now knows coming to school is his job.

“When we arrive in the parking lot he perks up because he knows the kids are coming,” Gallup said.

Flint generally has to make a few laps around the classroom during morning reading time, greeting and visiting each student at least twice. And once he’s received his quota of at least 27 (times two) pets he goes back to his pillow, lays down and is quiet for the rest of class.