SANFORD — On March 28, Rick Barnaby paid a visit to the Fraser-Ford Child Development Center at Waban with his 2-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever.

Moxie is a therapy dog, trained to interact with children and adults. Moxie visited each classroom, and the children had an opportunity to see, pat, hug and learn about her.

Along with Moxie, Barnaby brought Debbie, an 11-month-old yellow Labrador retriever, who is in training to become a service dog through an organization called the National Education for Assistance Dog Services. Soon, Debbie will be assigned to assist a person who is disabled, possibly in a wheelchair or a combat veteran. NEADS has recently provided dogs for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“The goal today is to introduce the children to Moxie and Debbie in an environment with no pressure, no judgment and just offer the opportunity to love and be loved,” said Barnaby.

That love was easy to see as the children surrounded the dogs and reached out to feel their fur and maybe get a kiss from the friendly pups.

A service puppy-in-training, Mattie joined the visit with his trainer, Linda Kramer, who has been fostering NEADS puppies for three years. Mattie is almost 6 months old, a shiny black Labrador retriever, and loved to roll over and have his belly rubbed. Allie Kepner, a student at the center, reached out to touch Mattie, and just giggled and hugged herself, she was so tickled, said Waban spokeswoman Selena Brock.

Every classroom had a visit from one or more of the dogs, but Labrador retrievers weren’t the only show in town. Brock said Sue Walsh toted in two cocker spaniels. Camille was the senior dog in attendance, an 11-year-old brown and white, and she was showing Olivia, a 6-month-old chocolate and tan, how it’s done. Some of the children chose to look at the dogs from a distance, but most reached out to the pups and some dove right in for big hugs. Pascal Chmielnicki from the Rise 2 classroom loved the feel of Camille’s fur on his cheek as he returned time after time for another hug, Brock said.

Special Education teacher Brie Westman pointed out that the dogs had a calming effect on many of the children, giving them focus and reducing anxieties.

“Bringing dogs into the classroom exposed the children to a new experience, an opportunity to touch animals and, for some of the timid children, to overcome fear,” she said.

“For children with autism, being able to relate and share emotions can be particularly difficult,” explained Neal Meltzer, Waban’s executive director. “The selfless and non-conditional love offered by the therapy dogs along with their warm fur and frequent ”˜dog kisses’ reached across boundaries and provided opportunities for the children to display their feelings and have very positive interactions. It is these types of opportunities and modeling that are reinforced at Fraser-Ford Child Development Center and help the children learn the skills they will need to be successful in mainstreamed environments.”

The encounter was so positive that teachers at the Fraser-Ford Child Development Center agreed it would be a great idea to bring the dogs back for regular visits. Some of the children had a profoundly calm reaction, they said, very different from the daily challenges and frustrations they face with ability to focus and communicate.

“Bring them back any time!” said Westman.