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On his fifth session with Elle, a registered therapy dog, Dylan Blount did the unexpected and petted the animal on the head.

His fears are not over, however, but for his mother, Adele Greene, the step was huge.

“This was monumental. It was big,” his mother said this evening at the Roanoke Rapids Public Library, where Leah Brewer and Elle have their Tail Wagging Tales sessions.

It started with a strategy Brewer developed, simply letting Dylan give Elle commands to sit or lie down so Brewer could reward her with a piece of cheese.

“Do you really think she’s going to take orders from a 6-year-old?” Dylan asked Brewer.

Brewer showed him the commands and the dog obeyed, her owner giving her the treat upon completing the order.

“I feel that gave him a little more confidence,” Brewer said.

“That was huge,” his mother said. “He’s been so afraid of head petting, asking, ‘Why is she looking at me?’ Saying, ‘She’s moving.’”

Dylan shows Brewer a passage in his book.

While in the last session Brewer decided not to encourage Dylan to pet Elle, his mother didn’t hesitate after her son read his third book, telling him it was time to try petting her.

As usual, he petted her on the back, jumping a little when the dog turned around to look at him.

Dylan pets Elle's back.

With more coaxing from Greene, Dylan reluctantly agreed to pet Elle’s head, the dog facing Brewer. He touched the dog’s head and when asked later what he thought, he simply said it was OK.

Greene said her son went to the evening session intent on petting Elle’s head. “He’s not where he should be. He said today he wished Elle lived in our neighborhood so he would be the neighborhood dog.”

Greene said she wants to see her son become more intimate with the dog. “I want to see him pet her like he’s interested, happily and enthusiastically.”

That Dylan wanted Elle to be a neighborhood dog is a good sign, Brewer said. “I want to see him more comfortable. That was amazing. I didn’t think it was going to happen today.”

Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a continuing series documenting the progress Dylan Blount makes overcoming his fear of dogs by reading to Elle, a registered therapy dog, at the Roanoke Rapids Public Library. Dylan’s next session will be in two more weeks. For more information on Tail Wagging Tales contact the library at 252-533-2890.