Children's book about Merlyn the police dog has special connection to Allegheny Valley schools

Who wouldn’t love a police dog that pines for French fries?

Second-graders at Acmetonia Elementary School in Harmar learned the eating and work habits of Merlyn, the now retired police dog for Springdale Township.

Jennifer Callen-Naviglia and her sister, Leslee Green, recently released the children’s book, “K-9 Merlyn Police Dog Extraordinaire.”

Callen-Naviglia, 43, who earned a doctorate in communications from Robert Morris University, has written academic books and is the wife of Chief Mike Naviglia of the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department. She read excerpts from her book Tuesday in several second-grade classes at Acmetonia, which her husband followed up with a visit with his latest police dog, Andor.

“We might know what pizza smells like, but Andor will know what the dough smells like and the sauce,” Naviglia said as he explained the capabilities and role of dogs in police work.

Besides Andor, what captivated the children was the book written from the point of view of the K-9 Merlyn. The dog tells readers about his extensive training with “Chief Mike” and about his numerous visits to schools in the Allegheny Valley School District.

Callen-Naviglia presentation was apropos for the Allegheny Valley School District because Merlyn visited the schools for educational presentations and for searches, according to Jan Zastawniak, school district spokeswoman.

“This reinforces what students have know about K-9s, and takes it to another level for them to learn more about the dog.”

“I get to ride around in a police car and get tons of attention from all the kids,” Merlyn says in the book. The dog is happy when he gets to “watch a Lady Dynamos soccer game or the Springdale High School Dynamos play football.”

The police dog also talks about eating French fries with Chief Mike and how he thinks the chief should buy separate servings for each of them.

Second-grade teacher Amy Zastawniak said, “The children really enjoyed hearing the dog’s point of view.”

The book was written with educational benefits in mind as it focuses on reading. Callen-Naviglia was inspired by the difficulty her three boys had while learning to read. Green, her sister and co-author, is an elementary school teacher in Austintown, Ohio.

“K-9 Merlyn Police Dog Extraordinaire” is available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.