By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Benny the Therapy Dog and his owner, Carol Treece, were ready for the usual pets, adoration and stories from young readers and their family members at the Wood County District Public Library’s Paws for Reading session on Tuesday afternoon. Little did they know that they would be celebrated with balloons, cookies, and a plethora of books about dogs.
The surprise party, planned by Marina Williford, Joy Powers and Youth Services Coordinator Maria Simon, celebrated a milestone for Benny and Treece. Together, they have provided 600 therapy visits since they started making their rounds in 2019.
Overwhelmed by the party, Treece said the journey to 600 has been special since she retired from teaching. Benny came into her life in 2017 when he was just an eight-week-old fluff ball. When he was two, and a much bigger fluff ball at 165 pounds, she decided that with his calm demeanor and love of people, he could be a good therapy dog.
The 600 visits started at the Maurer Family Cancer Center at Wood County Hospital and expanded to include regular stops at the library, nursing homes and the Bowling Green State University campus. At each stop, whether it’s to listen to stories or just provide a sense of calmness, the uber-fluffy, lumbering giant Newfoundland settles in to offer comfort and support.
At Tuesday’s Paws for Reading, Benny was surrounded by dozens of dog books, including “Benny’s Big Heart: A Therapy Dog Spreads Kindness,” the Susan Montgomery book that shares the tale of Bowling Green’s beloved Benny and his travels through the city.
He was a bit oblivious to the decorations and hoopla; instead, he was ready to stretch out and do his job.
For the hour-long Paws for Reading, young readers and their parents filed in for their 15-minute session and regaled him with tales of monsters, weird science facts, and other dog stories.
“There are dogs that are pets, and then there are working dogs,” Simon explained to one of the families. “Benny is a special working dog. Not everybody gets to bring a dog to the library, but because he’s taken some classes and tests, and passed those tests, he is designated a therapy dog who does work by being comforting to people.”
Jacoby Koval of Perrysburg gave Benny a couple of pets and greetings before he started sharing a bunch of facts in a book he’d chosen from the library. Though he was a little shy to start reading at first, once he had petted Benny and read one of the facts, he scoured the pages to find the facts he thought were interesting.
“If you chew gum immediately after listening to a catchy song, you are less likely to get the song stuck in your head,” Jacoby read. “Your heart is powered by electrical impulses. Women’s hearts beat about eight times more every minute than men’s hearts.”
Benny, though not as fascinated by the facts as Treece and the others in the room, gave a tail wag to let Jacoby know he was listening.
Jacoby has been a regular reader to Benny, his mother, Jennifer Koval, reported. Since November, they have visited the library once or twice a month for Jacoby to read to Benny.
“It’s been really great to motivate him. Reading’s a little bit more difficult for him, but he’s really made a lot of progress this year,” she added.
In addition to the Benny sticker and bookmark that Treece hands out, Jacoby’s reward was to pick out dog-themed cookies, baked by Powers, to share with his brother. One last pet and tail wag, and Benny’s job was done for the day, until his 601st visit.
