YORKVILLE — At the ASPCA, literature isn't wasted on dogs.
Inside the organization's Canine Annex for Recovery and Enrichment (CARE) Tuesday, Tony-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth read Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace" to recently abused dogs undergoing treatment.
"One must pity the animals too," Neuwirth read from a page she had dog-eared from the Tolstoy epic. "That's a little Tolstoy for your soul."
Two of the dogs, Bordeaux and Juice, who had been abused before they landed at the center, curiously watched her from behind a glass door and laid nearby as she read the passage in a calming voice.
The exercise is part of the ASPCA's Story Telling Program that aims to get the animals used to positive human interaction. Neuwirth, who also starred in "Cheers" and" Frasier," said she had to take part in the program to help the neglected pups recover.
"Wouldn't you want to read to some beautiful animals who have had a difficult life if there's anything you can do to help them, to help them heal in some way?" she said, adding that her parents used to read to her when she was little and it was a soothing experience.
"War and Peace," one of Neuwirth's favorite books, was an easy pick because she said Tolstoy is a "compassionate" writer.
Neuwirth's participation marks three years and more than 3,000 hours of reading under the Story Telling Program, where adult volunteers read to dogs as part of their rehabilitation.
Many dogs who come into the CARE center are extremely shy and severely isolated, ASPCA officials said. Having volunteers come in and read to the dogs helps expose the pups to new people so they can eventually be adopted.
"The sound of voices helps habituate them to relax and crave human interaction and exposes them to love and care from humans," said ASPCA CEO Matt Bershadker.
The dogs at CARE are held there for a number or reasons — for the ASPCA's forensic team to collect evidence, for medical or behavioral rehabilitation, or because the agency can't yet adopt the dogs out, he explained.
After Neuwirth finished her passage, she held 15-year-old Bordeaux in her arms. The bichon frise mix is visually impaired and his front right leg is missing.
"Once I stopped crying, [the experience] was wonderful," she said. "To sit and read a beautiful story to a beautiful dog is a moment of peace. It may be cliché, but they say we heal them — but they heal us."
