Reading to dogs boosts kids’ confidence
by Bethany Kemming
Staff Intern
The usual sounds of turning pages and children reading filled the Rum River branch of the Anoka County library on Aug. 10… along with an occasional bark.
Andover resident Bethany Lieser reads to Chopper on Aug. 10 at Rum River Library’s Read to a Dog Day from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Library Assistant Ava Larsen says the event is geared towards children who are just learning to read in hopes it will increase their confidence.
From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., the Rum River Library hosted Read to a Dog Day. Children had the opportunity to share their favorite books with a therapy dog for 15 minutes. The goal of the event was to increase children’s reading confidence, according to Library Assistant Ava Larsen.
“It attracts different types of kids – those who are just starting to read or those who are reading on their own,” Larsen said. “It gives them a lot of confidence.”
Four canines pricked up their ears as they were paired with a child that read to them and petted them. In return, many children received several “kisses” from the dogs, some of them unwanted.
Though some dogs fell asleep when the children were reading, one handler reminded children that they fall asleep to bedtime stories too.
“The dogs fall asleep sometimes, but the kids often just use the dog as a pillow and keep reading,” Larsen said with a laugh. Participating dogs are all certified therapy dogs that have been trained through the Reading Education Assistance Dog (R.E.A.D) program.
Larsen said the dogs are all well behaved.
Children that took part in Read to a Dog Day often received a bookmark “pawtographed” with the name of the dog and a drawn paw print. While the library offered a variety of titles for children to chose from, many of them about dogs, children could bring their own books as well.
Dog handlers can help children with their reading, though Larsen said they don’t get any more involved than a child wants.
“The children are sometimes more confident around the dog when they don’t have their whole family gathered around,” Larsen said.
Lynda Kolasa brought her grandson Carter Miller at the suggestion of her daughter.
“He loves to read anyways. He was really excited to read to a puppy,” Kolasa said.
Children participated in Read to a Dog Day for free, but signup filled quickly. Larsen even made a waiting list.
“Kids and parents generally feel pretty comfortable with dogs,” Larsen said.
Started in 1993, the program trains handlers and their dogs in inidividual teams before sending them out to schools, libraries and other locations where they can serve as reading companions. READ charges no cost to libraries or other facilites but does accept donations as a non-profit organization.
Studies done by the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010 suggested that children participating in the READ program may be more receptive to reading programs in school.
Rum River Library held the first Read to a Dog Day in 2009 and has held a reading companion event every three months, according to Larsen. Earlier this summer, the library also hosted “Read to a Guinea Pig Day.” More information can be found at www.anoka.lib.mn.us.
Bethany Kemming is at bethany.kemming@ecm-inc.com
I love this! You should check out the children’s book “The Bedtime Book for Dogs” from author Bruce Littlefield: it’s one of the first books to really adopt the kids-read-to-dogs concept[because studies show that when kiddos read to animals, their skills increase 30% faster than those who don’t!].