Reading Is Dog-Gone Fun

When Carol Pyle offered to bring her therapy dog, Lily, to the Yorktown library on Saturday mornings so local children could practice their reading skills, she thought she might attract a handful of kids.

Think again.

In its first year as a library-sponsored program, "Reading Is Dog-Gone Fun" has been such a hit that Lily, a Yorkshire terrier, has had to enlist several of her classmates from the Muncie Obedience Training Club to share the workload. Among the recruits are Pooh, the Great Dane; Zack, the giant poodle; Bessie, the boxer; Paddington and Faith, the shelties ... and the list goes on and on. To accommodate the surge in interest, young-adult librarian Mindy Holloway has expanded the program from one to three times a week. When word spread across the street to Yorktown Elementary School, the dogs (and their handlers) agreed to help out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The numbers have been impressive. In 2008 Holloway scheduled 885 individual reading sessions of 15 minutes each. Many of the readers are "regulars" who bring favorite books to the library or choose stories from the stacks. "The purpose isn't to teach kids how to read, but to show them that reading is fun," explains Carol Pyle. To enhance the fun and promote the learning, the library staff used a $5,300 grant from The Community Foundation to buy portable dividers that create quiet cubicles so the children and the dogs aren't distracted from their books. Funds also covered the purchase of bright green beanbag chairs, a Clifford ("the big red dog") rug and books that "speak" to young readers. "They're fabulous," says Holloway. "When children come to words they don't know, they touch a pen to the page and the word is spoken out loud. The reader sees the word, touches the word and hears the word. This promotes multi-sensory learning."

Parents report that reading scores have improved, but the big gains have been in self-confidence levels. "At first the kids are shy, and their voices are very soft," says Pyle. "Then, as their confidence builds, they start getting more expression in their voices." Unlike parents and teachers, the dogs don't correct mistakes or evaluate skills. Typically, they fall asleep or snuggle next to their readers.

"Sometimes the handlers sit with their dogs, but they never interfere or help, unless the child asks," says Liz Rozelle, library director. "It's a non-threatening, relaxing kind of environment, which reinforces the idea that reading can be fun for all kids, especially those who struggle or are shy about reading out loud in school."

The 17 dogs that participate in the program are certified by Therapy Dogs International, Inc., a volunteer organization based in Flanders, N.J. They've been trained to interact appropriately with children, patients in hospitals and residents of nursing homes. To earn certification they must pass a test to prove they aren't daunted by loud noises, bouncing balls or the presence of wheelchairs or walkers. "We drop pie tins behind them and watch their reactions," says Pyle. "We want to see if they become excited or aggressive. Those would be reasons not to pass a dog."

Success stories are plentiful. Holloway tells of an international student, just learning English, who comes in each week to practice. A child with Down syndrome who never expressed interest in books is now a regular visitor. A little girl who was petrified of dogs has gradually overcome her fear and is especially fond of Lily. "A dog had jumped on her when she was a toddler," explains Pyle. "At first, every time that Lily moved, the child got a panicked look in her eyes. Slowly she has gotten to the place where she pats Lilly and reads to the dogs."

As pleased as Pyle was to see the girl's progress, she realized that participants in the program might not realize that all dogs aren't as friendly and docile as the therapy dogs. This prompted the library to sponsor a dog safety program to demonstrate how children should respond to unfamiliar pets. "I didn't want them to have a false sense of security," says Pyle. To make the point that some dogs have specific duties to perform and shouldn't be distracted, she invited a woman to bring her seeing-eye dog and a state trooper to bring his police dog, Zeke.

"Just as we were getting ready to start, Zeke was called out on a job," says Pyle. Luckily he returned in time to field questions. "The kids loved it."