Living out the English idiom "gone to the dogs" is not a problem for Nancy Chando.

Although the phrase is defined as something that has gone badly wrong, Chando has turned that around. Since her retirement from teaching, she's gone to the dogs again and again — Tiffany and Toby, that is, her two Cavalier King Charles spaniels. They accompany her as certified pet therapy dogs on visits to hospital patients, particularly those struggling with cancer, like Chando had.

In June 2007 she said good-bye to her first-graders at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Kingston, where she taught for 35 years as a member of the Kingston Teachers Federation.

Only once before had she left the world of small desks, beginning readers and the eager shine of 6-year-olds. That was in 1994, when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

"I was only 44," Chando said. "It was difficult to be the one who was at home, who was in and out of the hospital, at that age."

After surgery and chemotherapy she has been in remission ever since. Once healed, she returned to teaching, along with her husband, Rod, a longtime member of the Red Hook Faculty Association. She also began a new assignment: lecturing groups about the often-silent symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Chando was honored this fall for her work by the Linda Young Ovarian Cancer Support Group through Benedictine Hospital. She still takes a seat at support meetings to pass on hope.

"It's so helpful to have someone say 'don't worry about that. I've had that,'" she said.

She found a way to help even more when she heard about a hospital pet therapy program. 

Always a dog lover, she chose first Tiffany, then Toby, because their breed is known for companionship and good disposition. Ever the teacher, Chando took each of the pups through obedience school and certification with Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International.

They visit people in hospital waiting rooms, then pop into patient rooms, first asking people if they want company. The dogs are especially helpful to children.

"It gives the kids something to talk about that's not medical-related," Chando said.

When she's not cavorting with her Cavaliers, Chando is a docent at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park. Guiding visitors, she says, "I feel like I'm still teaching!"

It's no surprise Chando still savors the role. "I was honored to teach all those kids," she said.

— Liza Frenette