'Ruff' reading gets easier
ZELIENOPLE — Twice a month, Kelley O'Halloran volunteers in a children's reading program at the Zelienople Public Library.
"Different people like to do different things," said O'Halloran of Zelienople.
"Having been a reading teacher and an English teacher, I like working with children," she said.
Also a dog lover, O'Halloran incorporates both interests as her black Lab Toby accompanies her there.
Participating in the library's Pages and Paws program, Toby and three of his canine friends visit the library to listen as children read.
According to children's librarian Kay Howard, the certified therapy dogs serve as an audience for emerging readers sometimes reluctant to read aloud.
"This is really good for those children who are maybe having a little trouble reading or they're just beginning to read," said Howard, who has hosted the program for about three years.
"They come and read to our dogs, who are very understanding listeners."
Last week, Toby and three other dogs greeted each other in the library basement, then wagged and squirmed as seven children arrived.
Though not yet reading officially, 5-year-old Hayden Schultz of Zelienople snuggled up to Misty, a 3-year-old retriever owned by Sue Mallen, also of Zelienople.
"This is a really, really bad train wreck," he said quietly to Misty as he flipped through pages in a book titled "Disaster!"
Hayden's 3-year-old sister Shannon sat on the carpeted floor nearby, where Nunzio, a 3-year-old Italian spinone owned by Rich Foley of Harmony, sprawled sleepily as she discussed a Mercer Mayer story.
"Uh oh! You're going to read a book about cats to a dog?" teased Steve Gross, whose golden retriever Windu gave full attention to 4-year-old Carmen Stefanacci of Jackson Township, in attendance with her 7-year-old sister, Gianna.
Of the four dogs that regularly attend, Windu is certified as a service dog, a more advanced certification that means he can perform certain tasks to assist his owner. But to participate in Pages and Paws, dogs must be certified as therapy dogs. Members of the Zelienople group are certified by Therapy Dogs International, based in Flanders, N.J.
The certification combines the American Kennel Club's canine good citizen, or CGC, test along with temperament testing that concludes an animal won't be rattled by children, noise or other potential distractions. The certification is granted to the dog and its designated handler.According to TDI representative Rob Houston, the certifying agency is the largest of its kind. Currently, TDI has 15,000 therapy dogs registered — 1,432 of them in Pennsylvania.Likely inspired by a TDI program called Tail Wagging Tudors, Howard said the dog owners approached her about starting the Zelienople program, which has proved to be a success.O'Halloran spear-headed the effort, telling Foley, an acquaintance, and Mallen, a neighbor who attends the same church as Gross."I did that because as the owner of a therapy dog, that's kind of what you get into it for. You look for places to take your therapy dog," said O'Halloran."For me personally, the libraries and schools were a better fit."According to Howard, the library also likes the fit."We have a good time with these dogs," she said."They really are affectionate animals and enjoy the attention. I've had children who kind of lay back on the dog while they are reading, and the dog is patient enough to accept it."Kelly Stefanacci is among parents who take advantage of the program."It's such a wonderful literacy activity," said Stefanacci, a first-grade teacher at Connoquenessing Elementary School and the mother of Carmen and Gianna."The dogs enjoy it. The kids enjoy it. This just helps everybody."Pages and Paws is offered from 4 to 5 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month during the school year. For more information, call the library at 724-452-9330.For more information about therapy dogs, visit the TDI Web site at www.tdi-dog.org.
