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On a sunny Wednesday morning at Beekman Elementary School, first-grader Karina Affonso is happily reading to her friend Cyrus. Over the course of 15 minutes, Karina finishes four short books as Cyrus happily laps up the stories, his tongue wagging outside his mouth.
At this point, it should be mentioned that Cyrus is an 8-year-old Bernese mountain dog. A 95-pound behemoth of an animal, Cyrus is as a gentle and eager to please as any dog around.
That’s part of the reason Cyrus and his owner, Helen Kozuck of Poughquag, are volunteers in the Positive Paws Visiting Pet Program. Kozuck and her husband bring Cyrus to the school twice a week read individually with children in grades 1-5.
“This gives children who might be shy a real encouragement to read,” said Kozuck.
The Beekman visit is one of many stops for Positive Paws, a volunteer group of about 20 people and their pets. Volunteers bring the soothing, healing power of pets to a number of facilities in the county, including nursing homes, libraries, hospitals and schools
Positive Paws Visiting Pet Program was begun in 2002 by Candice Cunningham, owner of Positive Paws dog training school, which holds classes in Poughkeepsie as well as individually. One group of students began a dialogue with Cunningham about volunteering with their dogs.
“People wanted to go a step further with their dog and to continue training and give back to the community through volunteer work,” said Cunningham.
As the program formed a relationship with facilities such as the Astor Children’s Home, St. Francis Hospital and the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie, the demand began to outstrip the number of volunteers, so the group set up periodic information booths at pet stores and community events, such as the Dutchess County Fair.
Prospective volunteers must bring their pets in for a pre-screening to access their suitability for therapy work.
“The biggest thing we are looking for is a dog to actively seek attention from others. They have to enjoy interacting with people. We accept all different sizes and breeds,” said Cunningham.
Different dogs excel in different environments. A more active dog would do well going to the Astor Home, while a more reserved one would be better for a more structured environment, such as a nursing home.
After a dog has passed the pre-screening, dogs and their owners must attend two sessions of program training. Volunteers are also expected to attend at least six pet training programs annually.
The Beekman Elementary program was initiated by teacher and Positive Paws volunteer Jen McMorris and Principal Duane Ragucci. Earlier in the year, the pair discussed implementing innovative reading programs at the school.
“We’ve found that children feel more comfortable about reading, more confident and it increases their fluency. It’s very motivational. Some of our students may be hesitant about reading, but with a beautiful, compliant, sweet, adorable dog next to them, they feel very successful. It’s just amazing,” said McMorris.
McMorris has brought her 5-year-old great Dane Blue into the classroom on a regular basis to visit with her combined kindergarten/first-grade/second-grade class. Her students work individually with Blue and also work to create a ‘Blue’s News’ book that allows them to work on a variety of different skills.
“The kids all love Blue. When he’s here, everything revolves around him,” said McMorris.
According to student John Carlos, Blue is a great motivator because he “loves all of us.”
For more information on Positive Paws Visiting Pet Program, go to www.visitingpetprogram.com or call 635-8977.
