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Kids improve reading skills with dogs

Monthly Paws to Read program helps children become better readers

At the Paws to Read event on February 4, children practiced reading aloud to trained therapy dogs. Paws to Read takes place from 3-4 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month, excluding holidays, at Grissom Library.

JaMaury Starks, age 9, reads a story to Tobey, a trained therapy dog, during Paws to Read on Feb. 4 at Grissom Library. Photo by Isabella Pence-Lanctot /Newport News Public Library System.

Children wishing to improve their reading skills can find eager ears and wagging tails at Grissom Library. On the first Saturday of every month, certified trainers bring their therapy dogs to the library to meet kids and hear a story.

Jessica Hartley, youth and family services librarian, explains that the Paws to Read program is about more than just having a dog to pet during storytime.

“Reading to dogs can improve a child’s reading level over a nine-week period,” she said. “It’s an inexpensive program for libraries that actually helps the kids.”

Many elementary-school students struggle with reading, and therapy dogs offer them a nonjudgmental ear for practice. In fact, a 2010 study by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University found that reading to dogs can create an increase in students’ ability and attitude toward reading.

The dogs sat next to their trainers in a large circle as the children began to enter the meeting room for the Paws to Read program on Feb. 4 at Grissom Library. Paws to Read lasts an hour, but kids filter in and out, and the event does not require prior registration. Each child can either bring a book from home or pick one from the cart of books the library staff have selected.

“We usually use beginner books or easy readers since the program is designed for those who are either struggling to read or just starting to read,” Hartley said.

After the kids select a book, it’s time for them to pick a dog. The children have a variety of choices for their reading companions, from terriers to St. Bernards. Surprisingly, the children are usually more excited rather than intimidated by the bigger breeds, Hartley said.

“There’s always a good variety of big and little dogs in case the kids are nervous around the big dogs,” she said. “Even though Indo, the St. Bernard, is the biggest dog, he’s probably the most popular.”

As the children begin to read to their dogs, reading no longer becomes a chore or homework assignment to the child, but instead it becomes an act of genuine interaction.

JaMaury Starks, age 9, pauses at the end of each page to turn the book around so that Sparky, a Shar-Pei mix, can see the pictures. When he’s finished with his story, he gives Sparky a hug before moving on to the next dog.

The participants in Paws to Read are certified members of the organization Therapy Dogs International. They volunteer their time to the Library every month, and the program does not cost the Library any money to run. The dogs that come to the event vary from month to month, but three or four are regulars, such as Richard Pettyjohn’s dogs Charlie and Bailey.

“Bailey and Charlie are usually at libraries three weekends out of the month,” Pettyjohn said. The dogs also often visit hospitals and senior living facilities. All of the therapy dogs stand out from other dogs because of their incredibly calm disposition and obedient behaviors.

“The dogs understand that there are special needs,” Pettyjohn said.

Whether the companion be a small child, senior citizen, or hospital patient, the dogs just seem to know exactly what to do to make their human friend comfortable. This is one of the major reasons why Paws to Read is such an effective program, organizers say. While dogs cannot communicate out loud to the children, their ability to reduce stress and make the child comfortable creates an environment that fosters learning and eagerness to read.

Paws to Read was started in 2006 by a group of trainers from Hampton who contacted Newport News Public Library System to begin a program at Grissom Library. All participating handlers are registered with the Therapy Dogs International organization, and are required to pass the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Test and be cleared by a veterinarian to be part of the program. In addition, the dogs and their handlers must be tested by a certified evaluator.

Paws to Read takes place from 3-4 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month, excluding holidays, at Grissom Library. No registration is required. Part of the Newport News Public Library System, Grissom Library is located at 366 DeShazor Drive, Newport News, VA 23608. Call 757-369-3190 for more information.

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