One of the young boys is going to put on his own dog show with Colonel for all the children at the center. Something that seems simple can be a huge step in the children's lives, says Laura Joesten, a recreational therapist at RTC. Just the ability to follow directions, to sequence tasks and follow through gives the child a huge jolt of self-esteem, she says.

The animals also help children learn and express feelings. Daynes and Colonel were working with another boy who was soon going to be moving to a different facility. He came to tell Colonel goodbye. "He said to Colonel, 'You know how much I love you, but I have to go."' It was one of the first times he had ever expressed love, she says.

Another boy had witnessed the killing of small pets by his father and "he couldn't relate to anyone," says Joesten. He began meeting with the dogs once a week, and then he went on a "field-trip" to the dogwash to see how the dog, Georgia, got ready to come to the center.

They explained to him that after getting the bath, Georgia had to get into a dryer cabinet, but she didn't like it because of the noise. "The boy offered to get in with her, so she would know she had a friend. That was a huge breakthrough in getting him to consider the feelings of others," says Kathy Klotz, executive director of ITA.

Mary Kemp has been bringing her two basset hounds, Fizban and Tasselhoff, to RTC for more than two years. "Fiz and Tass just love to sit and be petted. Tass searches out one child and tries to get a belly rub. Fiz has to get a pet from everyone before he will settle down."

Sometimes, Kemp says, the kids will hide treats for the dogs to find and are so delighted when the dogs do it. "Dogs are so loving, so nonjudgmental. They accept everything. The kids relax and open up to them," she says. "And who can resist these faces?"

Shelley Gallagher has a Dalmatian named Ripken that she brings to the center. They've started doing agility training with some of the kids, setting up a course in the gym and letting the kids put Ripken through the weave or over jumps. "It's fun for the kids and fun for Ripken. He loves it. He loves to play with kids. Since he's a Dalmatian and associated with fire stations, they've taught him to do the 'Stop, drop and roll.' The kids learn and Ripken learns."

What's great about the Dalmatian, she says, is that "he is not only willing to learn, but he has so much energy. The kids tire out before he does."

She has found that "the kids are often standoffish with me, but they go right up to him and give him a hug. That's a good starting point."