Penn State Altoona - Ivyleaf Magazine: Spring 2005
A Boy and His Dog
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With a love for literacy education and a passion for teaching the teachers of the future, Rhode Island native Deb Marciano took a trip south to learn about service dogs. Now, she’s turned her research into manuscripts for two children’s books in an effort to raise awareness of this issue by telling the story of a boy and his dog.
Deb Marciano’s dad must be proud of the influence he has had on his daughter’s career path. As a well-respected teacher and coach, he instilled a passion for education in his daughter and molded her approach to teaching. States Marciano, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at Penn State Altoona, “I was always impressed with my dad’s approach to learning. It was holistic back in the 50s and 60s when that wasn’t really going on. I was able to see the kind of respect that his students and athletes had for him and I wasn’t feeling that towards most of the teachers I had. So I knew there was a better way, even at an early age.” Both of her parents instilled in her the desire to help others, something Marciano tries to impress upon her students at Penn State Altoona.
Reflects Marciano, who began her academic career as an elementary school teacher in Rhode Island, “I’ve worked with a lot of people who cited the best three reasons for teaching as ‘June, July, and August.’ I couldn’t stand it because I was always enthusiastic about my career.” An opportunity came up at Rhode Island College to work with their elementary education majors and Marciano thought, “Maybe I should be working with people who are studying to be teachers and then we can impact more children.” Eventually, she pursued her Ph.D. at Penn State and has been teaching literacy courses in Penn State Altoona’s elementary and kindergarten education degree program since 1998.
South for the SummerSince the events of September 11th, Marciano had been toying around the idea of writing a children’s book about service dogs, after a suggestion by Associate Librarian Mila Su. States Marciano, “Search and rescue dogs were brought to everyone’s attention after 9/11, bringing an awareness to the general population that service dogs are more than just seeing-eye dogs for the blind.” After learning of Domesti-PUPS, an organization that trains service dogs for adults and children, Marciano contacted them in pursuit of information to include in her teaching curriculum. Instead of just information, she received an invitation to Alabama to participate in the first Domesti-PUPS training camp in the southeast division.
She and husband Ray Noll, part-time lecturer in integrative arts at Penn State Altoona and illustrator of Marciano’s books on service dogs, packed their bags and flew south for two weeks during the summer of 2004.
There, she met two of the participants in the training camp—a woman from Missouri with fibromyalgia who had not left her home in five years because walking was so painful, and Ty Taylor, a boy with muscular dystrophy (MD) who became the subject of Marciano’s children’s books.
Eight-year-old Ty, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Goodwill Ambassador for Alabama and youngest of three boys, had been given a life expectancy reaching only until his mid-teens. He already was experiencing mobility issues and becoming unable to keep up with his friends. Enter Teddy, a long coated collie, trained for over a year by Domesti-PUPS and charged with helping Ty become more mobile. With the assistance of a Penn State Altoona research development grant, Marciano followed Ty and his mother around for two weeks of training with his new service dog. She was amazed at the immediate bond struck between Ty and Teddy.
The training process was intense; after the first four days, dog and boy are ‘leashed up’ such that, even while sleeping, the leash is around Ty’s arm. No one else but Ty was permitted to feed, water, brush, or potty the dog, to instill in Teddy a sense of responsibility toward the one taking care of him. Remarks Marciano, “I’ve worked with children all my life, yet I’ve never seen anything so instantaneous; the bond was just incredible and it happened so quickly.”
Training camp included field trips to places the typical young boy would go—Chuck E. Cheese, the mall, the park, a baseball stadium, and the movie theatre. At each location, Ty was to take his dog in and learn how to deal with the varied reactions from employees and the general public, and become more accustomed to having the dog’s assistance.
Back to SchoolIn January 2005, Teddy joined Ty at his public school. Domesti-PUPS conducted training with each class in Ty’s school before Christmas, to familiarize Ty’s schoolmates with their expected behavior toward Teddy. They learned that they were not to touch, call, or pet the dog; Teddy was there to do a job. Different from guide dogs, service dogs may interact with other people—but only after Ty gives the “go visit” command.
Marciano flew back to Alabama to witness Ty and Teddy’s first few days of school and states she was “blown away at how well behaved those students were with having a dog in their classroom, walking down the school hall, and sitting under a cafeteria table.”
Marciano jokes that the students did a better job at restraining themselves than she. “When we got off the plane in July, we were met by two volunteers and Teddy. I immediately started scratching his ear. Then I looked up at the two volunteers and said, ‘Oh, I’m not supposed to do that!’ I had just read everything I could on service dogs before I met them and I went down and did it anyway, without thinking!”
A Canine LifelineTeddy has been a true lifeline for Ty. In March 2005, Ty was in great pain and having difficulty walking. He began leaning on Teddy more and more and holding on to him if he started to trip, which is the purpose of a strength and mobility service dog. Notes Marciano, “Teddy is what’s keeping Ty out of a wheelchair right now.” And the woman who had not left her home for five years? She now goes out every single day for a walk with her dog, and is becoming an advocate for service dogs.
Ty’s family has observed his transformation from an ostracized handicapped kid to one of the most popular kids in his school. Currently in second grade, he plays on a baseball team with a designated runner and, until recently, had a typical nonchalant attitude toward reading. But that has changed, thanks to Gracie Mae, the newest canine addition to the Taylor household.
Reading PupsA little too spunky for the woman for whom she was trained to be a companion dog, Italian greyhound Gracie Mae became Ty’s brother Dexter’s dog. Dexter suggested he become her trainer, having heard about the reading pup program. A reading pup goes through obedience training to sit with children who are having difficulty reading. The child reads to the dog rather than a teacher, who may have the tendency to interrupt and correct the child. The dog is a step above reading to a stuffed animal, a more common teaching technique. The reading pup listens patiently to the reader, creating a risk-free environment. This innovative project is being tried out across the country and shows great promise.
So the Taylor household now is home to three boys and two dogs. Dexter’s and Ty’s dad telephoned Marciano, to express his amazement at the effect Gracie Mae has had on his sons’ reading habits. Neither boys were pleasure readers, yet their dad reported that Dexter had been reading to Gracie Mae almost half an hour per night. And Ty, observing his brother with his dog, went into his own room and started reading to Teddy. States Marciano, “As a reading instructor, I’m delighted by the results and loving it!”
With her husband as illustrator, Marciano has authored manuscripts for two children’s books based upon Ty and Teddy. Featuring “Michael” and “Rocky,” one book tells the story of the boy and his dog and exposes young readers to a very different type of summer camp—service dog training camp. The other is written from the perspective of the general student body, entitled There’s a Dog in Our School. Marciano hopes that this work will explain the concept of service dogs in school and help build acceptance of this practice. Marciano says that she sent the books to a publisher in the fall and is “keeping her fingers crossed.”
Ty’s mom, Tammy Taylor, is greatly appreciative of Marciano’s work. States Taylor: “I hope [the children’s book] inspires them. Why set a limit? They label you ‘handicapped’ so prove them wrong. Don’t limit yourself; reach for the stars. Ty could be the next president. Who knows?”
Editor’s Note: Mike Taylor, Ty’s dad, is sponsoring a $5,000 fundraiser for MDA for research to find a cure for Duchenne MD (the type of MD from which Ty suffers). Duchenne MD predominantly affects boys. For more information, visit http://www.mda.org/. To make a donation in Ty’s name, contact: https://www.mdaevent.org/ONE/Participantinfo.aspx?j=33C9e071-163e-4917-8fbf-0089fc72cc3a or Deb Marciano at dlm258@psu.edu
Copyright © 2005 Penn State Altoona
A Boy and His Dog
E-mail this article
With a love for literacy education and a passion for teaching the teachers of the future, Rhode Island native Deb Marciano took a trip south to learn about service dogs. Now, she’s turned her research into manuscripts for two children’s books in an effort to raise awareness of this issue by telling the story of a boy and his dog.
Deb Marciano’s dad must be proud of the influence he has had on his daughter’s career path. As a well-respected teacher and coach, he instilled a passion for education in his daughter and molded her approach to teaching. States Marciano, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at Penn State Altoona, “I was always impressed with my dad’s approach to learning. It was holistic back in the 50s and 60s when that wasn’t really going on. I was able to see the kind of respect that his students and athletes had for him and I wasn’t feeling that towards most of the teachers I had. So I knew there was a better way, even at an early age.” Both of her parents instilled in her the desire to help others, something Marciano tries to impress upon her students at Penn State Altoona.
Reflects Marciano, who began her academic career as an elementary school teacher in Rhode Island, “I’ve worked with a lot of people who cited the best three reasons for teaching as ‘June, July, and August.’ I couldn’t stand it because I was always enthusiastic about my career.” An opportunity came up at Rhode Island College to work with their elementary education majors and Marciano thought, “Maybe I should be working with people who are studying to be teachers and then we can impact more children.” Eventually, she pursued her Ph.D. at Penn State and has been teaching literacy courses in Penn State Altoona’s elementary and kindergarten education degree program since 1998.
South for the SummerSince the events of September 11th, Marciano had been toying around the idea of writing a children’s book about service dogs, after a suggestion by Associate Librarian Mila Su. States Marciano, “Search and rescue dogs were brought to everyone’s attention after 9/11, bringing an awareness to the general population that service dogs are more than just seeing-eye dogs for the blind.” After learning of Domesti-PUPS, an organization that trains service dogs for adults and children, Marciano contacted them in pursuit of information to include in her teaching curriculum. Instead of just information, she received an invitation to Alabama to participate in the first Domesti-PUPS training camp in the southeast division.
She and husband Ray Noll, part-time lecturer in integrative arts at Penn State Altoona and illustrator of Marciano’s books on service dogs, packed their bags and flew south for two weeks during the summer of 2004.
There, she met two of the participants in the training camp—a woman from Missouri with fibromyalgia who had not left her home in five years because walking was so painful, and Ty Taylor, a boy with muscular dystrophy (MD) who became the subject of Marciano’s children’s books.
Eight-year-old Ty, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Goodwill Ambassador for Alabama and youngest of three boys, had been given a life expectancy reaching only until his mid-teens. He already was experiencing mobility issues and becoming unable to keep up with his friends. Enter Teddy, a long coated collie, trained for over a year by Domesti-PUPS and charged with helping Ty become more mobile. With the assistance of a Penn State Altoona research development grant, Marciano followed Ty and his mother around for two weeks of training with his new service dog. She was amazed at the immediate bond struck between Ty and Teddy.
The training process was intense; after the first four days, dog and boy are ‘leashed up’ such that, even while sleeping, the leash is around Ty’s arm. No one else but Ty was permitted to feed, water, brush, or potty the dog, to instill in Teddy a sense of responsibility toward the one taking care of him. Remarks Marciano, “I’ve worked with children all my life, yet I’ve never seen anything so instantaneous; the bond was just incredible and it happened so quickly.”
Training camp included field trips to places the typical young boy would go—Chuck E. Cheese, the mall, the park, a baseball stadium, and the movie theatre. At each location, Ty was to take his dog in and learn how to deal with the varied reactions from employees and the general public, and become more accustomed to having the dog’s assistance.
Back to SchoolIn January 2005, Teddy joined Ty at his public school. Domesti-PUPS conducted training with each class in Ty’s school before Christmas, to familiarize Ty’s schoolmates with their expected behavior toward Teddy. They learned that they were not to touch, call, or pet the dog; Teddy was there to do a job. Different from guide dogs, service dogs may interact with other people—but only after Ty gives the “go visit” command.
Marciano flew back to Alabama to witness Ty and Teddy’s first few days of school and states she was “blown away at how well behaved those students were with having a dog in their classroom, walking down the school hall, and sitting under a cafeteria table.”
Marciano jokes that the students did a better job at restraining themselves than she. “When we got off the plane in July, we were met by two volunteers and Teddy. I immediately started scratching his ear. Then I looked up at the two volunteers and said, ‘Oh, I’m not supposed to do that!’ I had just read everything I could on service dogs before I met them and I went down and did it anyway, without thinking!”
A Canine LifelineTeddy has been a true lifeline for Ty. In March 2005, Ty was in great pain and having difficulty walking. He began leaning on Teddy more and more and holding on to him if he started to trip, which is the purpose of a strength and mobility service dog. Notes Marciano, “Teddy is what’s keeping Ty out of a wheelchair right now.” And the woman who had not left her home for five years? She now goes out every single day for a walk with her dog, and is becoming an advocate for service dogs.
Ty’s family has observed his transformation from an ostracized handicapped kid to one of the most popular kids in his school. Currently in second grade, he plays on a baseball team with a designated runner and, until recently, had a typical nonchalant attitude toward reading. But that has changed, thanks to Gracie Mae, the newest canine addition to the Taylor household.
Reading PupsA little too spunky for the woman for whom she was trained to be a companion dog, Italian greyhound Gracie Mae became Ty’s brother Dexter’s dog. Dexter suggested he become her trainer, having heard about the reading pup program. A reading pup goes through obedience training to sit with children who are having difficulty reading. The child reads to the dog rather than a teacher, who may have the tendency to interrupt and correct the child. The dog is a step above reading to a stuffed animal, a more common teaching technique. The reading pup listens patiently to the reader, creating a risk-free environment. This innovative project is being tried out across the country and shows great promise.
So the Taylor household now is home to three boys and two dogs. Dexter’s and Ty’s dad telephoned Marciano, to express his amazement at the effect Gracie Mae has had on his sons’ reading habits. Neither boys were pleasure readers, yet their dad reported that Dexter had been reading to Gracie Mae almost half an hour per night. And Ty, observing his brother with his dog, went into his own room and started reading to Teddy. States Marciano, “As a reading instructor, I’m delighted by the results and loving it!”
With her husband as illustrator, Marciano has authored manuscripts for two children’s books based upon Ty and Teddy. Featuring “Michael” and “Rocky,” one book tells the story of the boy and his dog and exposes young readers to a very different type of summer camp—service dog training camp. The other is written from the perspective of the general student body, entitled There’s a Dog in Our School. Marciano hopes that this work will explain the concept of service dogs in school and help build acceptance of this practice. Marciano says that she sent the books to a publisher in the fall and is “keeping her fingers crossed.”
Ty’s mom, Tammy Taylor, is greatly appreciative of Marciano’s work. States Taylor: “I hope [the children’s book] inspires them. Why set a limit? They label you ‘handicapped’ so prove them wrong. Don’t limit yourself; reach for the stars. Ty could be the next president. Who knows?”
Editor’s Note: Mike Taylor, Ty’s dad, is sponsoring a $5,000 fundraiser for MDA for research to find a cure for Duchenne MD (the type of MD from which Ty suffers). Duchenne MD predominantly affects boys. For more information, visit http://www.mda.org/. To make a donation in Ty’s name, contact: https://www.mdaevent.org/ONE/Participantinfo.aspx?j=33C9e071-163e-4917-8fbf-0089fc72cc3a or Deb Marciano at dlm258@psu.edu
Copyright © 2005 Penn State Altoona
posted by LadyDeerskin And Her Service Dog | Monday, May 01, 2006
