By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Shortly after Christmas, the two “top dogs” in the Alabaster School System will make their rounds to the city’s schools to determine who designed the best house for the system’s only four-legged employee.

“(Superintendent) Dr. (Wayne) Vickers and Warrior will tour each school to judge the dog houses and pick the winner. I guess you could say the school system’s two top dogs will be the judges,” Alabaster City Schools Student Services Coordinator Dorann Tanner said with a laugh.

On Nov. 18, ACS staff members delivered grey and black plastic dog houses to each Alabaster school. Over the next few weeks, students at each school will work to design the dog houses in their own unique ways.

Once completed, the dog houses will serve as homes away from home for Warrior, a young Australian shepherd who was hired to serve as the school system’s mascot in mid-October.

After the dog houses are decorated, Vickers and Warrior will make their rounds to select the best-decorated of the six.

“We thought it would be a good way for the kids to be involved and build teamwork,” Tanner said. “We are just giving the schools carte blanche to work with.”

Since he was hired last month, Warrior has been a hit with the city’s students and faculty members, and has been in high demand for weeks, Vickers said during a Nov. 14 Alabaster School Board meeting.

“Warrior has certainly been a hit,” Vickers said. “I think he has been the most-wanted individual in our city.”

Warrior recently began puppy training at Alabaster’s PetSmart store, and is preparing to take part in several ACS special programs ranging from at-risk student support classes to special-needs therapy sessions.

ACS is preparing to launch a Warrior website and a Warrior book club, and is preparing the dog to ride in the city’s Christmas parade on Dec. 7.

“The kids all know him now,” Tanner said. “Whenever he comes to a school, the kids all rush to say hey to him.”