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See Spot Read
Mix dogs, books, and kids together fo r great reading.
BY JAM ES M cCOM M ONS
P A R EN TIN G
I f a c h i l d i n
y o u r f a m i l y
s t r u g g l e s w i t h
r e a d i n g , y o u
s h o u l d k n o w
a b o u t t h e
b e n e f i c i a l
e f f e c t s d o g s
c a n h a v e o n
t h a t c h i l d ’s
a b i l i t y t o l e a r n .
few years ago, when
Andrew' Lafoon was
learning to read, his
parents discovered he
,
'had learning difficulties.
“I’d take out the phonics books, and
he couldn’t remember what he’d
learned the day before. He would get
really upset,” recalls Lisa Lafoon, of
Midlothian, Virginia. “I was concerned
because I didn’t want reading to be a
bad experience for him.”
Then one day at the library, Lisa and
her boys saw' a remarkable sight—a
child curled up with a dog, stroking its
head and reading the animal a book. It
was the first Lisa had seen of the Read
to Rover program, in which early
readers read aloud to a therapy dog
—one trained to sit quietly and accept a
stranger’s touch. A dog handler lingers
nearby, but the children are essentially
one-on-one with the dog, w'ho, of
course, is a noncritical listener.
Andrew loves dogs, and Lisa thought
this might get him back to those
phonics books. In the ensuing weeks
they selected books and phonics flash
cards, and practiced at home during
the week. Then Andrew read those
materials to the dog. “He worked hard
because he wanted to be ready to read
to the dog. It turned his motivation
around 180 degrees,” she says.
Each week, thousands of children
in early primar>' grades read aloud to
certified therapy dogs in libraries,
elementar}' schools, and day care
centers. In different locations, the
program is known as Reading to
Rover, Dog Day Afternoons, and
Paws to Read—but all grew out of the
Reading Education Assistance Dogs
(R.E.A.D) program begun in 1999 by
Intermountain Therapy Animals of
Salt Lake City.
“We were looking for a way that
therapy animals might encourage
literacy,” says Trisha Clifford, the
organization’s national R.E.A.D. team
coordinator. “It is a novelty, but it
works. It’s a fun way to make reading
more enjoyable for children.”
R.E.A.D. now has about 2,000 teams
of volunteers in 49 U.S. states, Canada,
and Europe. Learn more about it by
visiting
therapyanim als.org.
Even if you don’t have a child in need
of these services, perhaps you wonder if
your dog could lend a hand. Or an ear.
In Richmond, Virginia, Donna Henley
certifies dogs through a chapter of
Caring Canines Inc. A reading dog,
she says, must sit still for long periods,
not bark, and be able to tolerate
unfamiliar sights, sounds, smells, and
environments. Dogs and handlers take
a six-week certification program.
“A lot of people think their dogs
can do this, but it takes a certain
temperament,” she adds. “Older dogs
often work best.” Handlers are trained
to help children—particularly those
afraid of animals—w'ork with the dog,
and they occasionally pronounce a
difficult word for the child or offer
encouragement. But most remain
silent, says Henley, who takes her
three dogs into elementary schools.
“I’m mostly a confidence builder
and big cheerleader to the child,” she
explains. “Usually, I take my knitting
and listen to the story, too.”
Children get about 10 minutes
to read with their furry pal. They
may lie next to the dog, curl up with
it in a chair, or hold its head in their
lap. “It’s really special to watch
the children react to the dog,”
Henley says. ©
2 0 2
MARCH
2009
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
