- The presence of the dogs provides comfort and helps students relax, allowing them to focus on their reading without pressure.
- Therapy dogs in the program undergo extensive training through organizations like Dog Harmony to ensure they are well-behaved and comfortable around children.
- The program has been successful in helping students improve their reading skills while enjoying the company of furry companions.
There’s nothing like having a dog around to pet on while you are reading a book.
A handful of youngsters at Destin Elementary School get to read with a dog every Tuesday as part of READing Paws. READ stands for Reading Education Assistance Dog.
Cheryl Law and her 6-year-old Rottweiler, Theo, come and read with a few children as they work on perfecting their reading skills.
“It makes them relax, so there is no stress,” said Nancy Bown of Dog Harmony, who helps to train the therapy dogs.
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“Being around the dog is comforting and builds confidence … it takes off all the pressure of the read,” Bown said.
“It’s a win-win for everybody: The kids enjoy it, and the dogs do too,” Bown said.
Law said she adopted Theo five years and has been doing the READing program at Destin Elementary for four years.
“He loves the kids,” Law said.
“He (Theo) gets so excited. Even walking through the campus and seeing the kids from previous years … they get excited, and he gets excited,” she said.
“And it really does help the kids improve their reading,” Law said.
Law and Theo work one-on-one with the children in the school library. Law and Theo have a red blanket set up near a book stack and welcome in each reader.
She works with second grade students. Each student has a half-hour block of time to come and read a book on the blanket beside Theo.
“They just read books with Theo. They don’t have the pressure of their classmates hearing them read. With him the kids just relax, they pet him, give him a cookie … it just makes them relax immediately,” Law said.
And Theo knows his job.
“He knows his spot,” Law said, as Theo lays down on red mat next to one of the students.
However, sitting still for book reading time did not just happen. READing dogs have to go through training.
Law did her training through Dog Harmony.
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Bown said to be a READing dog, “they have to be friendly with all people, friendly with all children, and not vocal.
“Some dogs are great dogs, but they can’t be vocal,” Bown said.
“Not all dogs can be reading therapy dogs and sit still that long,” Bown said.
Dogs must pass a therapy test. After they pass the test, Bown said, they typically work and do something else with the dog and owner so they can get to know the teams.
“We make sure they are going to show up when they say they will show up. We make sure the dog is really bullet proof, and then they take another workshop,” Bown said.
Law said there is an extensive written test for the owner.
And of course, before they come into a school, the owner must go through a background check.
Also, when the dog comes to the school, “they have to be clean and groomed, nails must be kept tidy because they can’t scratch kids,” Bown said.
“We’re lucky to have teams like Theo and Cheryl that do this,” Bown said.
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