Improving Literacy One Dog at a Time, Amee Abel

Improving Literacy One Dog at a Time:

Read to a Dog at Monadnock Humane Society

Some children come in boldly. Some are more hesitant. Some bring books. Some pause at a tabletop library to select a book. How ever they come in, every month for the past two years, children come to read to the dogs at Monadnock Humane Society. The program, called Paws to Read@MHS, features pet dogs who have been trained, tested, and insured to provide a safe and fun visit. This visit has a big purpose. These dogs aim to help children become better readers.

The premise is simple: Make reading fun and a child will read more. Reading more makes a child a better reader. Every child benefits from reading more. However, when you struggle to read, practice becomes agony. Children turn off when reading is hard for them. They feel embarrassed or “stupid” if they make mistakes. They feel they can’t be successful.

Bring in a dog and the picture changes. Dogs are perfect listeners because they are completely accepting. Snuggling up to a dog is novel and fun, which takes the focus off the difficulty of the task. Dogs don’t giggle if you make a mistake. Dogs think you are wonderful whether you read a page or an entire book.

The Paws to Read@MHS program slips another virtue into the mix—duration. The program entices children to read longer by offering a room full of dogs. When a child finishes reading to one dog, they are often tempted by a wagging tail to visit another dog, and another, and so on around the room. Each dog has a personalized photo bookmark to give to every child who reads to them. Many children like to collect one from each dog. Before you know it, the child has spent 40 or 50 minutes practicing reading. That sounds like a miracle to many parents of reluctant readers.

The dogs are in once a month from 12:30-1:30 on the second Saturday of the every month except December. There’s no charge for the program and there’s no need for a reservation—reading is on a first come, first served basis.

Therapy Dogs are the Magic Ingredient

Big dogs and small dogs; mixed breeds, shelter alumni, or show ring champions: Paws to Read@MHS includes quite a variety of dogs. They all have one thing in common—all are registered therapy dogs. Therapy dogs work in partnership with their human teammate to make others feel better. They pass rigorous testing to prove their sociability, their composure when faced with novel situations, and their ability to remain obedient under the most trying of circumstances. Most of all, Amee Abel

Drummer the registered therapy dog with Molly and Jason Robinson at a recent Paws to Read@MHS. Photo courtesy Carol Laughner, 2015.