Reading Program Improves School Performance

Volume 2 Issue 1
April 1, 2008
Author: Cheryl Hentz

"How is a reading program that improves the reading skills of our children relevant to the owner/pet relationship? Are we willing to accept that there is more to those fuzzy-furry friends of ours than being just an object in our homes? Imagine your dog, or any other pet for that matter, capable of reducing the stress and increasing the self esteem of your children; would you do it?

In this story you will find an interesting correlation between dogs and children in the early reading stages of life. However, if expanded upon, I believe this new found light could be shared with all generations." - Shirlie Rae, Publisher

The Coulee Region Humane Society (CRHS) Pet Therapy Program began in 1985 with the arrival of their beloved "Dr. Fred". This stray yellow lab became the foundations heart and soul. During the course of 2006 - the last year for which numbers were readily available - the shelter's 66 volunteers and 68 therapy dogs visited over 40,000 residents in and around the Coulee Region of Wisconsin.

Part of the shelter's Pet Therapy program is its Pet Therapy READing program, which began, in earnest, about three years ago. The inspiration for the program was shelter volunteer, Jane Walz, and her dog, Lily. One day during a conversation, Jane shared with the shelter's Pet Therapy Director, Renee Knutson, about her struggles as a little girl with reading and how she felt.

"I was listening to her talk about those struggles and all of a sudden this incredibly worldly, articulate woman became a little girl and I could hear the anxiety and the frustration and could feel how small and insignificant she felt at the time. No child should feel like that, so I decided we could make a difference and change that," Knutson says. "I started gathering information on how to start a program here and the rest is history."

The CRHS Pet Therapy READing program is an owner/dog team that listens to a child read. The intent of each session is one-on-one interaction between the dog and child, with the dog's owner assisting when appropriate. While still fairly new, programs in which children read to dogs are becoming increasingly popular. The premise is that children have the opportunity to improve their literary skills by reading out loud to a non-judgmental canine ear. The reader does not have to fear criticism from peers if they make a mistake and at the very least the canine presence provides motivation for reading. So, with no pressure or criticism, a child has only to enjoy the reading experience. "But it's much more than a feel-good experience," Knutson says.

The child gets the supervised reading practice necessary to build vocabulary, increase understanding of the material, and gain fluency as a reader. Results tracked over the years, both at CRHS and other shelters using such a reading therapy program, show that children participating in such a program make enormous strides in developing and maintaining their reading and communication skills, while building self-esteem, confidence, and social skills. Some bonus benefits to the program are performance in other subject areas, school attendance, and even personal hygiene.

"Typically, we'll see a child's literacy skills raise one grade level in a semester, but certainly over the course of a year it goes up," says Knutson. "But this program is not something that's exclusive to children who are struggling with reading..."