Jade and Sassie were on the job yesterday morning.
The two certified therapy dogs were calm and looking for hands to pet them
in Linda Lee's first-grade class at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School on Link Road.
Jean Beauchesne, the dogs' owner and trainer, brought the animals to the
school as part of a program she recently began called Reading to Rufus.
The idea is to have children who are shy about reading aloud do so to the
dogs.
Children might not want to read to each other, she said, but they might open
up to the dogs.
"I'm trying to get this program started," Beauchesne said. "It's therapy
for the children. In the hospital, I have children read to the dogs. It's good for the children's self esteem."
Sassie is a 12-year-old golden retriever/yellow lab mix who doesn't hear
well; Jade is a 7-year-old Doberman pinscher. Both are friendly and, most importantly, calm.
In the past, Beauchesne said, she has taken the dogs to the Ronald McDonald
House, the Whitaker Rehabilitation Center at Forsyth Medical Center and to various wards at Wake Forest University Baptist
Medical Center. People needing physical therapy might throw a ball to the dogs, brush them or walk them, while those who need
cognitive therapy might remember their last visit.
Yesterday, both dogs were wearing red jackets that said Therapy Dogs International
on one side and Paws A While for Love on the other.
Second-graders from Jeanne Eldrid's class and various teachers came in to
watch as the dogs visited the first-graders. At first, a child sat up front with a group of listeners around the dogs. The
rest of the children were at their desks, either listening or coloring.
"Do you want to pet Sassie?" Beauchesne urged. "She's the furry one."
Helene Cortez sat near the front, but she worked studiously on a drawing
and showed no overt attention in the dogs; she was afraid of the animals. Helene, at 7, was the same age as Jade.
After a while, Beauchesne decided to make a change. Since Jade and Sassie
were looking around the room, she let them roam among the children as a child read.
At one point, a group of children had to be asked to move back to let Sassie
out from under their table.
"Don't step on Sassie's paws," Beauchesne warned. "Think of your grandmother.
She's that old."
Then Beauchesne made another change. Children came up to read while the rest
of the students got on the floor with the dogs. Sassie lay comfortably among a sea of adoring hands, while Jade stood and
looked for attention. A boy reached out to pet her, and he giggled as Jade answered with a lick on his chin.
Helene, who had said she was afraid of the dogs, began to talk to Jade, and
patted her on the back. Her teacher and Beauchesne both noted the change with satisfaction.
"A calm dog does wonders," said Beauchesne, who met Lee when Beauchesne's
own children attended her first-grade classes.
"Sassie is good and calm. Jade's appearance is intimidating, although she's
friendly, too, so we always lead with touching to reassure the children."
After the reading session, children eagerly raised their hands to ask questions.
One asked about Jade's breed. Aren't Dobermans dangerous?
"It's not the dog's fault," Beauchesne said as she watched the children pet
Jade. "The owner probably trained them that way."
Another child asked if dogs have jobs - apparently the class had talked about
this earlier.
"Excellent question," Beau-chesne said. "This is how they act when they're
working. Jade is a jumper, but, when she's working, this is how she acts."
Another child asked about dog years. Beauchesne explained that a big dog
ages faster than a small one.
Beauchesne and Lee said that they had been nervous entering yesterday's class.
They knew the dogs would be calm, but they had no idea how the children would react.
As it turned out, the children were respectful, curious and friendly.
After leaving the class yesterday, Beauchesne looked at some of the drawings
the children had made for her and her dogs.
Several showed Jade and Sassie with golden crowns, which meant that the dogs
are princesses.
One of the drawings was of particular interest. It showed both dogs and was
signed "Helene Cortez."
