Allow me to introduce you to Red.  Red is a four year old purebred English bulldog who loves to volunteer his time.  A little about Red’s background, he was born October 10, 2003 deep in the heart of Alabama.  His Dam, Wendys Adalyda Vidalia and his Sire, Pokey Joe II loved him very much but Red knew he had a higher calling.  Early December 2003 he made the long trip up north to beautiful New Jersey where he and his brother stayed with his cousin Meatball who lived in Ringwood.  After a few weeks with family it was time for Red to find his new full time home.  So, on Christmas day 2003 a twelve pound little puppy met his new dad Mike and he called him Red.

Mike and Red were inseparable, they did everything together.  They played, took walks, napped, and they did EVERYTHING.  Then the day came in March of 2004 when Mike decided it was time for (now fifty five pound) Red to get a formal education.  They packed up in the car and went to American Canine Academy in Hawthorne New Jersey to seek the training of Mr. Bill Delaney.  Under the instruction of Bill and Dory, Red learned it all.  First, he passed puppy kindergarten with flying colors.  It was suggested that such a good student should continue his education and take intermediate obedience, so that is what they did.

Now for anyone who knows a Bulldog knows they can be stubborn.  However, everyone was patient with Red and by midsummer 2004 Red had passed intermediate obedience and was gearing up to become an AKC Good Citizen.  In August 2004 Red took and passed his AKCGC test and again at the suggestion (this time from Dory) they decided Red would make a great therapy dog (who doesn’t love those wrinkles??)  Week after week they returned to Hawthorne to learn the ins and outs of being a good therapy dog.  After training was over Red had his graduation day and again he passed.  This was late October of 2004 and Red was just one year old (that is the minimum age to be a therapy dog).  So, now pawed with a graduate degree in being human’s best friend, Red was ready to take the show on the road.

There are so many ways to be a service dog and they tried them all, they went from nursing homes to hospitals to schools.  It is amazing to watch the smiles grow when Red walks into a room.  Having provided smiles to the sick and companionship to the lonely Red finally settled into his niche as a “Library Dog”.  Read what the Ridgefield Children’s Librarian wrote about Red in the fall of 2006 ….

Red Sedita spent the summer listening to the children at the Ridgefield Public Library read for the summer reading program. The program Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales was a perfect fit for Red to help the children with their reading skills.  The children signed up for 10-minute sessions once a week to spend time reading to a willing, friendly, four-legged partner.  We had beginning readers and advanced readers alike come week after week to Read to Red!  Each child came away with improved reading abilities and a better understanding of how to relate to dogs. 

Red is no stranger to libraries, he was the highlight of Saturday Story Times at the Franklin Lakes Public Library in 2005.  Red met with the children, listened to the stories, and helped the children with their craft projects at the Franklin Lakes Library.  He also made an appearance at the middle school in March 2005 to promote Read Across America, Dr. Seuss’s Birthday!

Mike and Red make a wonderful pair to educate children and their parents about caring for and learning about therapy dogs and their role in society. Children involved in reading programs with dogs are shown to have: Improved READING skills, a sense of PRIDE in their accomplishments, Willingness to become INVOLVED in other positive activities, more RESPECT and KINDNESS in their interactions with animals, find READING more enjoyable, and Check out more books from the LIBRARY!

The program was such a success that Red and Mike went back in the summer of 2007 and they have plans to show up this summer as well.  The benefits that the children in the library program receive pale in comparison to the feeling of putting smiles on their face by volunteering.