Derek, a trained Canine Companions for Independence dog, has gotten to be a familiar sight around the Shenango Valley at the John Flynn Funeral Home and in schools, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities since he came to live with Tom Flynn in November 2000.

But since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, Flynn, the owner of Hillcrest Memorial Park in Hermitage and father of John Flynn, felt that the families of the people who died in the World Trade Center could benefit from the 3-year-old golden retriever's comfort.

Last month, Flynn and Derek traveled to Rockville Center on Long Island in New York -- about 30 minutes from Ground Zero -- where South Nassau Communities Hospital has set up a counseling center for those who lost family members in the World Trade Center.

Flynn and Derek are set to return to Rockville Center today and once a month for at least a year, Flynn said.

Derek, who is used for grief therapy at the John Flynn Funeral Home, has been a great benefit to the children at the center, said Dr. Thomas P. DeMaria, psychologist with South Naussau Communities Hospital.

"Derek's been a real trooper," DeMaria said. "They have a fan club for Derek."

Flynn was connected with DeMaria through Dr. Kenneth Druck, a psychiatrist Flynn met in San Diego. Druck switched his practice from corporate psychiatry to dealing with people who had lost children after his daughter was killed in a bus accident in India, Flynn said.

Druck was open to the idea of using a dog in grief therapy and introduced Flynn to DeMaria, Flynn said.

The center opened on Sept. 29 in a vacant grocery store and offers programs for widows, siblings, adults who have lost children and children of World Trade Center victims.

The kids come to the center so they can be with other kids in the same situation and to talk about death and what it means. DeMaria said the center uses a lot of "play therapy" to help them cope.

"Kids communicate non-verbally," DeMaria said, adding, "Derek has a knack for a child who doesn't want to talk."

DeMaria said Derek helps the children on a basic level. They can pet him or hug him, and he does tricks for the kids.

"He makes them feel more comfortable," he said. "Derek's very special. He adds a lot of dimension to a kid's happiness."

Flynn said Derek made the rounds of the staff members, children and members of the siblings group while visiting the center.

"We wanted to be open to everything ... all possibilities," Flynn said. "We just wanted to as much good as we could, whoever was there."