PAWS of CNY Volunteers Visit Family Tapestry Student Support Group

By Mary Beth Coniglio

On June 3, PAWS of CNY volunteers Peggy Byrne and her Golden Retriever Ellie and Alison Bene and her Pit Bull Mix Router visited the Family Tapestry Student Support Group at the Pastime Club in Syracuse.

The Family Tapestry Group provides support for parents and caregivers of youth and adolescents with behavior, mental health, and developmental challenges. The PAWS of CNY volunteers met with 10 – 12 students. The kids asked a lot of questions about the dogs – their names, age, breed, etc. and they also asked what a therapy dog does.

The kids liked to tell personal stories about their own dogs. One student was very afraid at the beginning because he was chased by a dog when he was younger. By the end of the evening he was sitting on the floor next to the dogs and petting them.

It was a very nice event for both the students and the volunteers.