Sable, the black Labrador retriever, makes reading fun

By Lisa Carolin

When Sable, the black Labrador retriever “reading dog” visited North Creek Elementary School recently, 6-year-old Albert Wiseley decided, “I want to read to Sable.”

He and his sister Greta, 5, and their mom, visited the Chelsea District Library on June 17 to do just that.

Sable, who is also a therapy dog, and his owner Barbara Marshall, visited North Creek every month during the school year and also visits the Chelsea District Library as part of the READ (Reading Education Assistance Dog) program, which they’ve been doing for three years.

It’s never too late to embark on a new career. That’s the case for both Marshall, who retired as a high school math teacher in the Plymouth-Canton school district after 38 years, and for her dog Sable, whom she and her family have owned since she was seven weeks old.

When Marshall retired in 2010, she contacted Chelsea dog trainer Michelle McCarthy about working with Sable to help her become a therapy dog.

“At that time Sable was already 5 1/2-years-old, but Michelle told me she was a perfect age to be a therapy dog since she was already mature,” said Marshall.

They went through 12 weeks of training that included a six-week obedience class and a six-week therapy dog class.

Since then, they have been volunteering at the Head Pain unit at Chelsea Hospital as well as the hospital’s cancer center. They also visit the Saline Evangelical home and the Chelsea Retirement Community every week.

It was four years ago that Sable became the official reading dog at North Creek.

“Research has shown that young children who are learning to read can be self-conscious and lack confidence when reading aloud to their peers,” said Marshall. “However, the dog will certainly not laugh or be judgmental in any way if the child falters or mispronounces a word. Thus the students tend to increase their self-confidence and become better readers.”

That’s what draws families to the library’s READ program, which sometimes features Marshall’s other therapy dog, Bella.

“The kids come in one at a time, and if they get stuck on a word, I will help,” said Marshall. “Sable knows the word ‘work’. She lives to work.”

On March 31 of this year, Sable suffered a ruptured spleen and the family, who thought she was having a stroke, rushed her to Lane Animal Hospital, where surgery was advised. Her spleen was removed along with a cancerous mass.

Since then, Sable has had three chemotherapy treatments with no side effects and is in clinical remission.

“Sable celebrated her 11th birthday on June 10, and we are blessed to have her every day!” said Marshall, who adds that she has been up front about Sable’s condition with everyone, including the students at North Creek. “She is happy and perky with a tail that always wags.”