"Plates, Ovelle." Ovelle sets the table with paper plates and sits down to wait for her lunch of beans, apples and carrots.

Nothing special — except that Ovelle is a dog.

She's helping Julia and her 7-year-old twin sister, Claire, learn to eat, walk and talk. And it's working.

Born with a sensory motor disorder, the girls have come far since they joined the Jump Start program at Saint Alphonsus Rehabilitation Services in Boise, Idaho, at age 3.

"They were horizontal," their father, Ron Gambassi, said. "That was the only position they could be in. They went from that to sitting and now walking with walkers and being close to walking independently. Ovelle has been a big part of that." The woman giving Ovelle commands is Diane Rampelberg. Ovelle, a golden Lab mix, is her dog. She works 40 hours a week — 40 volunteer hours a week — with her, helping children with disabilities and adults with brain damage improve their life skills.

Grants and donations help cover expenses, but Rampelberg works full-time for free.

"Diane is phenomenal," speech therapist Tiffany Dean said. "Ovelle wouldn't be able to do what she does without her. And her dedication and love for the kids is above and beyond." She and others at Saint Al's see what Rampelberg does as leading-edge therapy.

"I'm not aware of anyplace in the country that's doing this," Dean said. "Typical therapy dogs visit places like hospitals or nursing homes and let people pet them. It gives them emotional support, whereas Ovelle is working with therapists to actually motivate the kids. Her level of skill is much greater than a normal therapy dog, and her trainer has to have the skills and education level that matches the therapists'." A teacher with a special-ed background, Rampelberg began working with assistance dogs in California a decade ago, after her son raised one for the Canine Companions organization. Its name was Dustin.

"I couldn't believe what the kids would do when Dustin was there," she said. "The connection was amazing." Now living in Kuna, Idaho, she was impressed enough that she started an organization to work with dogs and kids with disabilities. She named it Dustin's Paw; Ovelle is its third dog. Rampelberg chose to volunteer rather than returning to a paid teaching job because "it didn't do for my heart what Dustin's Paw does." She and Ovelle work with 16 kids a day plus out-patients. Another dog, Prairie, was added last week. Disabilities range from autism and visual impairment to motor and sensory problems. For some kids, such as the twins, even the seemingly simple act of eating can be overwhelming.

"Ovelle helps them see that it can be fun," speech therapist Pat Vanderveldeg said. "If they take a bite, they get to give Ovelle a bite. That's their treat." One boy wouldn't let anyone brush his teeth.

"If he brushed them, he could brush Ovelle's as a reward," occupational therapy assistant Diann Davis-Martin said. "It worked. When he went to the dentist, it was the first time in five years he didn't have to be sedated.

"Another kid hated putting on socks. We let him put socks on Ovelle, and after a while he'd put on his own. Sometimes it almost seems like a miracle. You don't think a kid is ever going to get something, and Ovelle comes in and they get it." Ovelle knows 85 commands, many in sign language. She also responds to commands that non-verbal children give her by pushing buttons on a machine. It teaches them cause and effect.

Most of the adults that Rampelberg and Ovelle work with, at another Saint Al's site, have suffered brain injuries in accidents.

"One was a paraplegic who was angry about being in a wheelchair and could hardly speak," she said. "But he loved Ovelle and could get her to do things. She changed the focus from what he couldn't do to what he could. Now he walks with a walker and calls me on the phone." She hopes a time will come when "people see the value of this and it will become a profession someday." Until then, she'll continue to find different rewards.