Bideawee Tails from a Volunteer
BIDEAWEE: A NEW VERSION OF READING TO DOGS by Florence Scarinci
I am a librarian. I love to see a child enjoy reading. It gives me great pleasure when a little girl asks for the most recent book in the "American Girl" series, or when she gleefully discovers a new episode in the life of "Fancy Nancy" on the shelf. To encourage reading, to raise another generation of people who treasure literature, that is not just my profession, it is my life. So it will come as no surprise that when Bideawee became one of the early pioneers in the Reading to Dogs program I was anxious to have my registered therapy dogs, who love children, participate. For the past three years, every week during the school year, either Penni or Coach, happily jumps out of the car, pulls me toward the entrance to the school, sits patiently on my lap in rapt attention while a "reluctant reader" breaks down a big word into syllables, or a shy boy timidly raises his voice, or a second grader with a lisp practices the sound that the letter "s" is supposed to make.
Penni and Coach have patiently sat through many an episode of Amelia Bedelia's linguistic misunderstandings and Horrible Harry's vengeful pranks. They have attentively listened to descriptions of Apatosaurus' and T-Rex's dietary preferences without looking in the least bit hungry. And since pictures of boa constrictors do not cause their hackles to rise or make them break out into a cold sweat, they have calmly endured every third grade boy's favorite non-fiction book, Amazing Snakes.
In addition to her weekly Reading to Dogs assignments in local elementary schools and occasional visits to public libraries, Penni also visits a school for the deaf every month. There she assists high school students in speech therapy and communication skills with activities and goals clearly enumerated in the teacher's written lesson plan. Practicing obedience behaviors with Penni becomes a lesson in the proper pronunciation of vowels and consonants. Using voice to ask grammatically correct questions about Penni's breeding or grooming is a lesson in English as a second language. The clever, creative teacher has found fun ways involving Penni to encourage oral communication including commanding Penni through an agility course or researching dog breeds and then playing a game of "Name that Breed." When the teacher heard about the Reading to Dogs program, she suggested we try it at the next visit. I arrived expecting to hear a chapter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix or Yankee Legends read aloud by a teenager who would struggle to pronounce words he could not hear. But instead of going directly to the high school classroom that we usually visit, the teacher led us to the library where five young children were fidgeting as they waited for Penni's arrival. I sat down, Penni lay down on a mat, and the first child picked up the story of the "Little Red Hen" and proceeded to "read" the story in American Sign Language. As she signed "I will do it myself, said the Little Red Hen" she was reinforcing her understanding of the subtle difference in the signs for "I" and "myself." She was followed by a little boy who "read" Chicken Little telling all the barnyard animals that the sky was falling, also in sign. This child was learning the signs for the animals. Three more children took their turns reading classic children's stories to Penni in sign language, each one learning new signs for vocabulary words. For her part, Penni did not care whether the stories were read with voice or in sign or what was being accomplished by the exercise. As long as she was able to snuggle next to each child and a treat followed each story, she was content.
Reading to Dogs began as a way to improve reading skills in a non-threatening, non-judgmental, relaxed way. Today the program not only encourages literacy but also has been found to benefit students with emotional and speech challenges. I think I can safely say, however, that the people who devised Reading to Dogs never envisioned reading in American Sign Language. But just as the work of therapy dogs expands every day and new facilities open their doors to welcome the furry therapists, the Reading to Dogs program continues to demonstrate its potential for use in ever diverse ways.
Do you have a dog who loves children? Does the dog enjoy cuddling up to a little one and being stroked? Can your dog sit patiently for ten or fifteen minutes at a time? Do you have time in your schedule and desire in your heart to help a child succeed? Why not consider having your dog train to become a therapy dog. You might just enjoy hearing the further adventures of Harry and Mudge or the Cool-Itch Kids or even Amazing Snakes.
AN UNSCHEDULED THERAPY DOG VISIT
BIDEAWEE DOGS and CATS GO GREEN
BAD ECONOMY BAD FOR DOGS AND CATS
LIFE GOES ON: Bideawee's Pet Loss Support Group
A Therapy Dog at College Teaches Important Lessons
Part 2: ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG: Joys and Challenges
ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG: Joys and Challenges
The Cat Who Changed My Life
The Lonely Cat's Best Friends
Therapy Benefits: What's In It for Me?
