Dog a teacher, healer
Published: March 2, 2007
Working like a dog is just typical for one local resident.
Not only did he work on a national holiday, but he did it while wearing his patriotic red, white and blue handkerchief in commemoration of Presidents Day.
Noble, a 9½-year-old German shepherd, joined his owner, Nina Pregont, on Monday to teach infants and young children how to be comfortable and safe around a dog at “Kids and Dogs: How to be Safe,” a program at Dundee Township Public Library.
Noble’s pleasant nature put children at ease as Pregont taught children safety tips through lists as well as live demonstrations. Giggles rippled through the crowd as pictures circulated around the room of Noble in his Superman costume for Halloween and as a reindeer for Christmas.
One Dundee mother brought her two children and nephew to the class because they live in a neighborhood filled with dogs, including a few pit bulls. Cari Poweziak — with nephew Adam, 9, daughter Harmony, 7, and son Josiah, 3 — hoped to get some tips, and in Harmony’s case, overcome a fear of dogs.
“Harmony is very scared of dogs,” Poweziak said. “We are trying to help her learn how to approach dogs and not be so scared.”
Harmony shied away when Pregont first brought Noble around the room to meet everyone but eventually warmed up to him enough to reach a tentative hand out to touch him on the back.
“The tips were really helpful. I can take them home and reinforce them now,” Poweziak said.
Practical tips
The goal of classes such as this is to help alleviate children’s fear and ignorance concerning dogs. Pregont and Noble provide instruction to correct bad habits children have in dealing with dogs, as well as teach some helpful tips about how to maximize a child’s interaction with a dog.
Pregont and Noble teach children three basics: always be gentle, leave working dogs alone, and never approach a strange dog without asking the owner first.
Although most of the techniques Monday were targeted toward children, some were helpful for adults as well. One tip was for a person bicycling who is approached by a large dog looking to attack: The rider should get off the bike and hold it in front of their body like a shield rather than try to outrun the dog. Pregont learned this tip through her own experience.
“I ended up with two punctured tires instead of two punctured legs,” Pregont said.
Pregont and Noble taught children certain techniques through hands-on learning. They included how to approach a dog from the side rather than the front, and to make the initial touch under a dog’s mouth rather than on its head. The team also taught kids to read a dog’s emotions by looking at its facial expressions to determine if it is “smiling” (tongue hanging out and lips open to the back of the snout), or growling (eyes narrowed and teeth bared).
“We go from smiling to frowning pretty quick sometimes. It is the same way with dogs,” Pregont said.
One unusual tip was to yawn if you are uncomfortable around a particular dog. The yawning relaxes the dog, and looking away proves the person is not threatening.
Therapy dog
Noble is a certified member of Therapy Dogs International, a nonprofit organization that provides registration and certification for selected dogs for the purpose of visiting hospitals, nursing homes or disaster areas. Therapy Dogs International dogs provided emotional assistance to people after the Oklahoma City bombing, the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and Hurricane Katrina.
Noble is a certified working dog who provides emotional therapy to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, amputations or other disabilities. In addition, he works at the library when invited. He regularly appears at the “Read to a Dog” event held at the Dundee Township Public Library several times a year.
Pregont says that although she leads the classes, Noble and his brother, Valiant, are the real heroes.
“I am just the transportation,” Pregont said.
Noble and Valiant have visited people at Provena St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin as well as a number of skilled nursing facilities throughout the Fox Valley. On occasion, they visit patients in their homes.
Pregont says Noble’s most significant contribution is his canine perspective. He sees people in the same way whether they are an 18-month-old toddling excitedly toward a new animal or a 72-year-old Alzheimer’s patient simply looking for an affectionate touch.
“He loves everybody,” Pregont said. “His special talent comes in when someone has changed their perception about themselves, or when society has a perception of someone because of their disability. A dog doesn’t see disabilities. To a dog, they are just people.”
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