The 'ruff' side of reading

“He licked me!” one first grader squealed while wiping the slobber off her hand. The group of children laughed, while hoping to get a chance to read aloud to DJ, the newest member of the group.

It was time for another reading circle in the basement of the Seaford Public Library and last week’s theme was dogs. Everyone was excited to pick out a picture book for the event, especially for the furry friend sitting right in the middle.

Captain DJ Munson, a 35-pound black labradoodle named after retired Yankee baseball player Derek Jeter, joined Seaford children on Oct. 13 for “Paws to Read.” The new program allows for therapy dogs to come in and help children in grades 1-3 with their reading comprehension skills and self-esteem.

“We’ve got a nice group of 11 kids here and it turned out really well,” children’s librarian Jackie Lopez said. “DJ is precious and his face is to die for.”

With the exception of DJ’s trainer, all of the parents were asked at the start of the event to leave the room while the children read aloud to their peers.

“It actually boosts their reading skills,” Lopez said. “One girl had a bulldog and she was nervous at first but she was a trooper and got up there to read and gave DJ a treat. Now I can see she is a little less nervous then when she first came in.”

The medium-sized labradoodle is a certified and licensed therapy dog trained to calmly interact with children and seniors.

“The first thing we had to do was pass the Canine Good Citizen Test,” trainer and Seaford resident Perry Kolakowski said. “I started working with him at 18 months, learning standard commands like ‘sit,’ and ‘come.’ There were 12 separate sections you have to pass including leaving him with someone else while I walk away and see how he behaves.”

DJ demonstrated his patience by sitting next to the children and giving his paw to his trainer when commanded to do so. The children in the circle became less and less nervous as the reading continued, eagerly raising their hands for a turn to sit with DJ.

The dog passed the CGC test at 12 months and then passed the therapy dog test at 13 months, Kolakowski added. “I worked with a trainer and took DJ to a place called Martial Arfs in Carle Place,” she said.

Like the CGC test, there were several parts that DJ had to pass in order to get his license. His trainer had to take him to an assisted living home in order to see how he interacted with the seniors. “When I walked in there, everyone was so depressed and slumped over chairs,” Kolakowski said. “He walked in and it’s like the sun came out.”

DJ also had to interact well with children to complete the second part of the therapy dog test and take part in programs like “Paws to Read.”

“He’s very mellow,” Kolakowski said. “When he has his vest on, he knows he’s working and is much better behaved. When he’s in my backyard, he plays like a maniac but the minute the vest goes on, he knows.”

Many of the children in the circle interacted with DJ by petting his head and giving him puppy treats after each reading session.

“Some children are shy to read in front of their parents because they correct them,” Kolakowski said. “DJ won’t correct them.”

Many of the children in attendance have a hard time playing with dogs due to traumatic or scary experiences. Parents use the program to help their kids warm up to animals and improve their reading levels at the same time.

“The last dog my grandson, TJ, had was a jumper and it scared the daylights out of him,” Kathleen Margiasso, a grandmother of two, said. “So I’m here with my grandchildren for dog therapy to show them that all dogs aren’t like that. The main thing is to get a dog for them that is very passive.”

The Seaford Public Library plans to bring DJ back to continue reading with children along with some other trained therapy dogs. Librarians also hope to draw a larger crowd for the event next time.

“I tell the children that he’s trained not to hurt you,” Kolakowski said. “To me there is nothing better than a dog. To see a child warm up to DJ is wonderful.”

For more information on the program, visit www.seafordlibrary.org.