dogs
GOING TO THE DOGS ( Clockwise from top left ) Gavin , atherapy dog , gets attention ; Wayne Valley High School student Viktoria Kulpa sits with Gavin , who belongs to Linda DeYoung ; Gabriel Santana with Zoey ; Leah Weiner cuddles Hana while fellow student Noelle Racuya and dog owner Susan Chandler watch . you want to bring your dog every place ,” DeYoung says . “ But my dog is well-behaved .”
Gavin ’ s charming ways are winning over students elsewhere in the district . At Lafayette School on Laauwe Avenue , he and DeYoung greet students as they enter the building on Monday mornings . “ Who doesn ’ t like seeing a dog when they walk into school ?” says Principal Matthew Kriley .“ It ’ s a comforting thing , and it just adds to our positive climate and culture .”
Lauren Healey , a teacher at A . P . Terhune School on Geoffrey Way , invites DeYoung and Gavin to her classroom once per month to let her 15 students read to the dog . It provides them an outlet to practice an important skill with no pressure , she says ; Gavin is not going to judge the students . “ If they don ’ t feel like they ’ re a strong reader , or they ’ re struggling , having the dog there is like a friendly zone ,” says Healey . “ If they make amistake , he isn ’ t
going toknow .”
And for Gavin ’ s visit in April — National Poetry Month — the students prepared their very own verse . DeYoung reciprocated by bringing a rhyming composition to share with them .“ I think that because the kids have taken to it so much , and the pandemic restrictions have improved , I ’ d like to see Gavin and Miss Linda come a little more often ,” Healey says .
Gavin became a therapy dog , oddly enough , because he was not cutting it on the dog show circuit . According to DeYoung , his breeder in Virginia was looking for adog to succeed in agility competitions . “ Apparently , Gavin did not go for agility 200 %,” she says . “ He wasn ’ t going for Grand Champion .”
Meanwhile , DeYoung wanted a new therapy dog because her former dog , Polly , was on the cusp of retirement . Then , DeYoung ’ s phone rang . It was a friend from Virginia . “‘ We had a meeting of the Shetland
Sheepdog Association last night ,’” DeYoung recalls the friend saying in January 2017 .“‘ And we have the perfect dog lined up for you .’”
That is how DeYoung and Gavin became a team . They not only visit local schools , but also Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff , New Jersey Veterans Home at Paramus and libraries in Franklin Lakes , Glen Rock and Lincoln Park .
“ Gavin thinks everyone in the world is his friend ,” DeYoung says . Back at Wayne Valley , John Ladany and his dog , Laddie , a 6-yearold Border Collie , are engaging an assembly of curious students . “ For the handlers , there ’ s a lot of pleasure in it ,” says Ladany , a retired Wall Street banker from Montclair . “ You feel good about it — it ’ s a connection with the kids .” And for Laddie ? “ I thought that he had the right personality for this ,” he says .
“ He ’ s such a noodge ,” Ladany adds , as the dog rolls over on its back .“ He ’ s a great dog .” ■
28 MAY 2022 WAYNE MAGAZINE