Reading isn’t so ‘ruff’

Most dogs can understand basic commands like “sit” and “stay,” but probably not an entire book. That didn’t stop a small group of kids from reading to them anyway at a special program at the Wantagh Library on April 7.

While the program is designed to help struggling readers, it was open to children at all skill levels, and gave them an educational opportunity during their spring break. Four dogs and their owners were in the community room that afternoon, participants in the Pet Partners animal therapy program.

Lissette Montagano, of Wantagh, brought her sons Andrew, 8, and Nicholas, 5, to the library. She said that Andrew gets reading services in school, so he is the type of child the program was created for. “I thought it would be a great idea,” she said. “He has to read every day, so why not make it fun?”

Montagano, who is involved in the PTA, said she would like to bring the program to Wantagh’s elementary schools.

Samantha Labriola, 9, a third-grader at Forest Lake Elementary School, has taken part in the program twice before — once at the library, and again with her Girl Scout troop. “She loves reading and she loves dogs,” her mother, Linda, said. “You can’t go wrong.”

One of the dogs Samantha read to was Oliver, a white poodle. She read “Oliver’s Twist,” a picture biography of the dog created by its owner, Jerry Scharfman, of North Hills. The dogs and their owners came from across Nassau County.

Janet Pianese and her son, Brian, of Massapequa, brought their dog, Amy, who just graduated from pet therapy training and was doing her second program. Pianese said she chose her dog for the program because Amy has the right personality for it. “She loves to be with kids,” Pianese said. “She’s just a people dog, so this is good for her. It’s good for everybody.”

The Pet Partners program is run by Bideawee, which has a facility in Wantagh. Trained dogs visit libraries, schools and camps, and pet therapy is also done at hospitals, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

Alicia Ryan, a volunteer and the events manager for Bideawee, said the program has been around for 30 years. There are nearly 100 animals that are trained for pet therapy, including dogs, cats and rabbits. The pets go through a five-week training program, which is followed by an evaluation.

“It’s for animals that are really friendly, that want to be pet,” Ryan said. “They also have to know obedience. We want to make sure that we have dogs that are really appropriate for the program.”

Training programs are held once a season at Bideawee’s facilities in Wantagh, West Hampton and Manhattan. Pets and their owners are trained to be prepared for any likely situation at a site visit, such as loud noises or rough children.

“It’s a fantastic program for children,” said Florence Harff, of Baldwin, who brought 10-year-old Winston to the library. “They’re reading skills just get so much better. They start to like to read.”

Harff has been involved in the program for the past six years with Winston, a rescue dog, and eight years before that with another dog. Some children are initially hesitant to read to Winston because of his size, she said, but his calm demeanor quickly puts them at ease.

Wayne Steck, of Roslyn, regularly visits libraries, nursing homes and colleges with Zoe, 10, a black flat-coated retriever. The two have been doing Pet Partners together for two years. “She loves attention,” Steck said. “She loves kids.”

William Greaves, 8, of Wantagh, got to read to three of the dogs last week, and chose Dr. Seuss books. His mother, Jean, said that because he likes dogs, she felt that the program would be a good way for him to improve his reading skills.

Ryan said that the Pet Partners program makes regular school visits, and children typically show improvement. Dogs often make them more comfortable than reading in front of their peers. “We always see a remarkable difference from when we first start working with the kids to the end of the year,” she said. “The reading program is probably one of our most successful programs.”