Ananda Small shakes Houdini’s paw as she hands him a treat.

The Mount Erie Elementary School second-grader got to pet the large, black poodle as a reward for finishing her writing assignment.

Every week Small looks forward to visits from her four-legged friends.

“I like them because we get to do fun things with them like math with them and projects,” she said.

Two weeks ago, students in Tracy Catlin’s classroom were comparing and contrasting Houdini with the much smaller Smarty.

“Smarty is about the size of a Chihuahua. Houdini is bigger than a coyote, almost as big as a wolf,” said Tommy Peak, pointing to his list of similar and different characteristics.

Houdini and other dogs are common visitors as part of the Paws in the Classroom program with Dogs on Call, a local all-volunteer organization.

Trained dogs and their handlers visit the classroom once a week. The program, in its first year, is designed to help motivate student behavior and learning.

“It’s been excellent. I hope we can continue doing it,” Catlin said.

Sarah Broderick and Deb Hall founded the all-volunteer Dogs on Call in early 2007.

“We started to feel that there were a lot of people out there with a family dog who wanted to share their dog,” Hall said. “We felt there was a need coming from a bunch of different directions.”

The organization takes certified person-dog pairs and matches them to volunteer opportunities in the area, including visiting nursing homes and being reading partners at schools.

“We’re kind of matchmakers,” Broderick said.

Both women share a love of animals and a background in training.

Broderick worked for Summit Assistance Dogs for more than eight years as a trainer and dog evaluator. She now owns a private dog training business in Anacortes, Pawsitive Pooch Dog Training. Hall worked at Summit for six years as public relations director and as a puppy raiser and trainer. She and husband David own the CPA firm David Hall & Co.

The pair say the concept of human and dog helpers is nothing new. But there was no real way here to get volunteer pairs matched up with venues that wanted dogs for therapy.

“A lot of people didn’t know how to proceed,” Hall said.

That’s where Dogs on Call steps in.

The organization started by offering dogs as reading companions to elementary school-age kids in Anacortes.

Having a nonjudgmental dog listening to students read helps them practice their skills — and gain confidence, Broderick said.

Last year Dogs on Call added dogs to the counseling program at Mount Erie Elementary School for a handful of students.

“The dog comes in to help counsel the kid,” Hall said. “The kids fell in love. The dog becomes their best friend by the second session.”

Kids meet with a school counselor — and a four-legged buddy — once a week for about an hour.

Stacey Estenson, Mount Erie counselor, said the sessions are focused on helping students with their behavior. Having the dogs around makes it a good experience.

“It’s a positive time in their week. It’s a positive thing they can look forward to,” she said. “I like seeing these kids happy. They light up when they come in and see the dog.”

During counseling sessions, kids write in a journal, promising the dog they will accomplish some kind of goal. Mid-week the dog e-mails them to give the kids encouragement.

“There’s some accountability with writing it,” Estenson said.

The dogs help students who sometimes have trouble making friends with their classmates.

“The dog is there to encourage them in their friendships,” Estenson said. “It’s probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.”

Hall said having dogs involved isn’t a fix-all, but it does make the kids smile.

“It’s not all a bed of roses. These kids are still having problems,” she said. “But the worst case is they get an hour with their best pal.”

This year the program was expanded to Fidalgo Elementary School.

Teams also sporadically visit nursing homes.

Broderick and Hall are looking to expand the places dogs visit.

“It’s exciting because we feel we’re at the tip of the iceberg,” Broderick said.

The pair hope to have teams visit hospital waiting rooms, family court venues and violent crime victim advocacy/support groups. They could be part of grief counseling and physical, occupational and speech therapy

“They alleviate anxiety and make it that less depressing. They distract patients,” Broderick said.

All dogs involved with the organization must be certified, and the teams must be interviewed.

“We want to make sure the team is a fit,” Broderick said.

Dogs on Call currently has seven certified teams.

Broderick and Hall are both certifiers for Love on a Leash (a therapy certification organization), but dogs can be certified through other organizations as well. Certification includes general obedience and temperament. Dogs on Call offers certification testing and a six-week course related to therapy work.

“We’re looking for animals that are engaging, they bounce, their tails are wagging,” Hall said.

Carol Patterson and her dog Smarty completed an evaluation March 10 before visiting the Mount Erie classroom.

“This is our first gig,” Patterson said.

Newly certified teams must complete internship hours before they can visit places on their own.

Patterson had good experiences volunteering with dogs in the past and got involved with Dogs on Call to do it locally.

“I enjoyed it and my dog really enjoyed it,” she said. “The kids just light up with the dogs.”

Patterson said having dogs visit can alleviate stress and make people smile. She recalled one time when visiting a nursing home, her dog put his paws up on a man’s wheelchair so he could give the dog a pet.

“It was just an incredibly beautiful thing. It was like you gave him a million dollars,” she said. “There’s nothing better than a furry pat.”

Read about dogs
Deb Hall, co-founder of Dogs on Call, and Port Orchard artist Donna Vaquer wrote a series of nonfiction children’s books about service dogs in “The Rainbow Series: Dogs Who Help.”
“All these books have little messages,” Hall said. “All the dogs are helping others in some way.”
Kids can read about Maya in a four-book series about being trained, or about Chloe in a four-book series about visiting second grade. They can also read about Eddie’s visit to kindergarten, Baker’s teaching and Summit grad Tasha and the girl she helps.
“The kids love to read them and it encourages them to read,” Hall said.
Visit http://www.bunnybudbooks.com.

For more information
If you’re interested in getting involved with Dogs on Call as a volunteer team or would like a pair to visit your facility, call Deb Hall at 293-4675 or e-mail .