It’s truly amazing how dogs are able to help us – presumably the more intelligent species – in ways other human’s cannot.
Many children struggle with reading, especially out loud. Whether it’s because of a learning or mental disability, or something like shyness or a speech impediment, these kids don’t enjoy reading and they especially don’t want to read to anyone else.
Enter the reading dog.
Reading dogs are great for kids who have a hard time reading out of fear of ridicule or judgment because the dog won’t ever laugh or make fun of them.
These wonderful programs have cropped up all across the United States. Here are a few.
READ with a Dog
R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dog) occurs every Sunday at the Manhattan Public Library in Kansas. and allows children to spend the afternoon talking to a non-judgemental and furry companion.
DOG B.O.N.E.S
Mara Stefan adopted her dog, Sophie a 4 year-old black lab from Double Dog Rescue. After she adopted her, Stefan new she had a special gift.
“I knew that Sophie had the right personality and temperament to offer support to others shortly after adopting her as a young dog.” Says Stefan. “I have two boys and would bring her with me to watch their baseball and lacrosse games. The children would always come up to her and she just relished the attention. I also noticed how calm she was around them and thought she could do more. When my mom passed two years ago, I made the decision to have her certified to do therapy work in senior centers, nursing homes, college visits. Once we had that certification, we could then move on to reading support. “
Sophie has been a registered reading partner and therapy dog with DOG B.O.N.E.S. ( (Dogs Building Opportunities for Nurturing and Emotional Support) and also Cohasset Working Dog Foundation.
Currently, she is reading partner at their local public library in Cohasset, Massachusetts.
Why She Does It
“The kids light up when they see Sophie,” says Stefan. “She allows them to relax and have fun reading to her. She is patient and calm and doesn’t care what words the kids are using so they feel more confident when reading to her.”
She explains that reading to the dogs is rewarding for many children who, as mentioned before, maybe self-conscious or afraid of correction.
“Often times, this [correction] is from well-intentioned parents and teachers,” she adds. “The kids that lack confidence in reading seem to gain a great deal from reading to my dog as she doesn’t critique them and is just happy to be in the room enjoying their company. Her calm demeanor also helps the kids relax as well.”
Tales to Tails Program
Ratna Anagol, Owner of Zoom Room Monterey Bay, California, partnered with a group called Tales to Tails that works out of their local public library.
“I first learned about the benefits that therapy dogs can provide during my training with the Zoom Room franchise,” says Anagol. “Since opening my business in April 2011, I had always hoped that we would be able to provide more therapy dogs in the community to work at our local hospitals, hospice centers, as well as homes for seniors. Once I developed a relationship with Therapy Dog International [TDI], I was able to have their evaluator come to the Zoom Room to test the dogs for certification. As a result, we have increased the number of therapy dogs available to go to these various facilities.”
Last spring Anagol was contact by the Pacific Grove Library to see if Zoom Room would be interested in being involved with the Tales to Tails Program. They got a group of 10 dogs, all certified through TDI, to be involved.
“The turnout was fabulous with over 40 children participating,” Anagol says. “I introduced the dogs and their owners, spoke to the children about how to be safe with dogs, showed off some agility and tricks the dogs could do, and finally had them gather in groups to read to the dogs. As a result of this event, the library started a weekly program where children can come and read to two dogs.”
Why do They do it?
“Studies show that one of the reasons reading improves as a result of reading to dogs is because dogs do not judge or correct,” she adds. “The library is thrilled to be able to offer this program and work with the Zoom Room to identify certified therapy dogs.”
Each of the dog’s in their program has been selected by the Zoom Room based on temperament. Then, they have to pass the Canine Good Citizen test, attend their Therapy Dog class and pass the certification test with TDI.
How to Join a Program
If you have a dog that you think is a perfect fit for a reading to dog program, awesome! A simple internet search can find many programs or contact TDI and they may be able to help. If you live local to any of the above programs, contact them via their websites, they are always looking for more volunteers.
“Dogs are now part of our families and therefore having well-trained dogs is more important than ever,” says Anagol. “Many dogs have the temperament to become therapy dogs. Dogs already provide search and rescue services, but can also provide comfort in our communities to seniors and children as therapy dogs. It is my hope that this part of Zoom Room’s training services will continue to grow.”
About the Author
Based in Wilsonville, Ore., animal lover Kristina N. Lotz is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and a member of the Dog Writers Association of America. She is the founder of A Fairytail House. In her spare time, she trains and competes in a variety of performance events with her Shetland Sheepdogs and caters to her two rescue kitties. She smartly married a Veterinary Technician, who helps keep the fur kids happy and healthy, and provides a quick resource for articles.
