As talented as Armuchee Middle School actors might be, they’ll have to take a back seat to a more seasoned performer.

When the students take the stage for their production of “Annie Jr.” on April 26 and 27, they’ll be sharing the spotlight with Jaymie, a retired therapy dog who is already used to the applause of an audience.

Jaymie and owner Cyndy Douan are donating their time to the middle school musical in which the pooch plays “Sandy,” the lovable stray befriended by the title character, Annie.

Armuchee Middle School Choral Director Ann Burgess contacted her veterinarian when she realized she needed a well-trained dog in the production.

“And they steered her to me because of the training I’d done with their clients’ dogs,” said Douan, who owns Georgia Dog Gym, a facility for training show and pet dogs in agility, obedience and other skills.

Delivery of tales gets the listener's tail to wagging

It was business as usual on a recent evening at the Moorestown Library. The reference librarian was at her post, the fiction best sellers were artfully displayed. And then there was Kinsey.

Kinsey, a Labrador retriever with enormous spirit, was holding court in the children's area of the library, disarming everyone who passed by with her charms. She practically exploded with delight at the attention, and clearly knew precisely how to steal a scene.

But Kinsey was actually waiting for her real work of the evening to begin. This 4-year-old with the reddish-gold coat is a therapy dog, trained to be attentive to youngsters who would welcome an audience as they read aloud. And Kinsey's owner, the diligent Molly Roy, a sophomore at Moorestown High, was hoping that Kinsey would remember her manners, and the extensive training she received through Therapy Dogs International Inc., a volunteer organization that prepares the dogs for their listening work.

Pet therapy: a career for a caring canine

Blue ambles down the hallway of Children's Care Hospital & School, and kids and staff alike stop her for a pat and a hug.

That affection is what the 142-pound Neapolitan mastiff lives for, says her owner, Judith Shreck. Blue loves her weekly visits to the Children's Care, though it's kind of hard to tell. Her laid-back personality is perfect for the job she's expected to do. People are immediately drawn to her because of her size, and Blue accepts the attention with placid equanimity.

That's Blue, Shreck says.

She's so far into mellow she's adagio. That's slow and leisurely in musical terms, says Shreck, a voice teacher at Augustana.

Blue went through training and testing to get certified as a therapy dog and is registered with Therapy Dogs International Inc.

CARES Therapy Dog Day

Description: On Saturday, April 21, 2007, Royal Valley Elementary school will be the host site for the first annual Northeast Kansas C.A.R.E.S, Inc. Alumni Therapy Dog Day. This event is an opportunity for area certified dog therapy teams to gather and exchange ideas and information. The CEO, Sarah Holbert, of C.A.R.E.S, Inc. of Concordia will also be present to help with any training "tune-ups" that are needed. This event will run from 9 a.m.-noon. If you have any questions my contact information is: Event Coordinator: Sandy Roush & TUX, Certified C.A.R.E.S, Inc. Therapy Team roushs@rv337.k12.ks.us 785.986.6286