FITCHBURG, Mass. (AP) - When Fiona enters the room, people pay attention.
At 125 pounds and almost 3-feet tall from floor to shoulder, the great Dane is hard not to notice.
“She’s a big dog for a big world,” said Sally Cragin, a member of the School Committee and organizer of Be PAWSitive. “Her paws are the size of a third-grader’s hand.”
But in this big world, Fiona has made an impact.
Fiona is one of the Be PAWSitive therapy pets, and regularly visits the Fitchburg Public Schools, The Highlands, Arc of Opportunity, and other organizations around the region.
Jonathan Silvestre, 8, leaned forward for a kiss from Fiona when the dog visited a special-education classroom at Reingold Elementary School Friday.
“Hey Fiona,” he said.
He soon sat down with another student, 10-year-old Ciara Gauthier, to read a book to Fiona, who lounged quietly nearby as the story unfolded.
“The longer a child reads to her, the more relaxed she gets,” Cragin said.
Angela Gill, a special education teacher, said the dog’s presence also has an effect on students who are more willing to read when she is in the room.
With her owner, Fitchburg resident Helen Donlan, Fiona has visited reluctant readers, children struggling with trauma, probationers moving through the court system and people living at the Montachusett Interfaith Hospitality Network Family Shelter.
Fiona’s eyes are droopy and she moves slowly even when surrounded by excitement.
Though she has always been friendly with humans, Fiona, now 9 years old, was less calm around other dogs in her youth, according to Donlan.
When Donlan adopted Fiona as a puppy she also had a 3-year-old great Dane.
“(Fiona) kind of pushed the other one around and the other one let her,” she said. “The other one kind of adopted her, like her mom.”
Donlan pulled out photos from Fiona’s younger years, where the full-grown younger dog is standing on the older dog’s back.
“She wasn’t always the sweetest, gentlest … (with other dogs), but she settled down,” Donlan said.
What does Fiona think about her classroom visits? She loves them, said Donlan.
“(When) she knows that we’re going to go see the kids or we’re going to go see Auntie Sally, the tail starts,” Donlan said.
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Online: https://bit.ly/2HWH04s
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Information from: Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg, Mass.), http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com
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