Many children find themselves in the difficult position of having to read to friends and strangers. It can be very scary for them, especially when they are still learning to speak out loud. With the help of some four-legged friends, kids now have the chance to practice their lifelong skill with a side of belly rubs.
Once a week, Eele and her owner Joan Gibson visit the Lodi Public Library. Eele is a part of a rotating group of therapy dogs that spend time with local children who are practicing how to read out loud.
Gibson believes that the presence of a therapy dog makes the children more relaxed.
“When learning how to sound out words, without being in a school environment, they seem to learn better. They are more relaxed,” Gibson said.
Martha Myles has been bringing Fuzz, her nine-year-old Poodle mix, to the library for over four years.
“The children know that Fuzz is truly listening to them without judgment and with encouragement. He is never impatient and just waits. The kids relax and just enjoy and understand that reading is fun and funny too. We laugh often. There is no pressure… we all just do our best. The acceptance between the reader and the dog is powerful,” Myles said.
This program is just one of many across California. In Fresno, Atlas visits a group of children at Clovis Regional Library. Atlas is a nine-year-old yellow Labrador who is a volunteer with the Tail Waggin’ Tutors. Their aim is to help children improve their reading skills in a relaxed environment.
“Dogs are a nonthreatening listener. They don’t correct them, they don’t laugh at them, and they don’t care if they make mistakes,” said Mary Catalano, Atlas’s owner. “I tell the kids that Atlas doesn’t care if they turn two pages or skip a paragraph or don’t know a word. He just wants to listen to them read.”
Many of the children who attend these programs have dogs at home. They already know the wonderful bond they can form with these gentle dogs.
One mother, Jodie Zoller, has seen massive improvements in her son. She also says it’s easy to take her son to the program because he loves dogs. Some days he doesn’t feel like reading and that’s more than okay.
“Dogs are just there to love. if he doesn’t feel like reading he doesn’t have to.”
References:
