R.E.A.D. Dogs Minnesota

The Rum River Library hosted Read to a Dog Day. Children had the opportunity to share their favorite books with a therapy dog for 15 minutes. The goal of the event was to increase children’s reading confidence, according to Library Assistant Ava Larsen.

Click here to read the full article.

_Nancy Brooks is crazy about two things: dogs and books. She never imagined she'd be able to combine the two until she heard about Reading Education Assistance Dogs, a program where volunteers and their pets visit schools and libraries, mentoring kids who need help with reading and communications skills.

The R.E.A.D. method is simple: Instead of reading aloud to a teacher or classroom, which can be intimidating, the child reads to the dog. This makes kids less self-conscious and creates a fun and rewarding opportunity for everyone.

"I thought it was the coolest idea ever," Nancy says. So in 2005, Nancy and her Shetland sheepdog, Sassy, started a R.E.A.D. group in their  hometown of Minneapolis.

To read the rest of the article published in Reader's Digest Fresh Home magazine, open the file below.

This Lawrence University blogger summarized the benefits of R.E.A.D. and applied them to a setting involving a child with Down Syndrome.

"To sum up, past research suggests that children with Down Syndrome often experience the same challenges typically developing children face while reading aloud. The R.E.A.D. program provides a nonjudgmental audience in a trained therapy dog and an exciting incentive to practice reading. Simply petting a dog has calming effects that can reduce anxiety children may experience while reading aloud. Utilizing the R.E.A.D. program for children with Down Syndrome can potentially increase reading grade level, practice time, cognitive skills and positive emotional response to reading sessions."

Click here to read The Benefits of Reading Education Assistance Dogs for Children with Down Syndrome

"Preliminary results show children who read to dogs are progressing three times faster in words per minute read then their counterparts in control groups without dogs."  Click here to read more about how Dogs Unleash Elementary Students' Reading Skills.

Note: R.E.A.D. program results are beyond anecdotal; see the R.E.A.D. Headquarters' website for a few of the document results.

_Preschool-aged children with disabilities can improve their learning through animal-assisted therapy, according to speech pathologist Dr. Sheila Bernstein.  

The article mentions a few results:

• Four out of five children showed increased number and complexity of utterances and greater use/variety of speech acts in the dog condition.
  
• One child stated, that he was afraid of the dog, but then went on to explain in detail, to the dog, why he was afraid.”Preschool-aged children with disabilities can improve their learning through animal-assisted therapy, according to speech pathologist Dr. Sheila Bernstein.

Click here to read the article.


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Lounging on a lime green blanket at Minnewashta Elementary, 5-year-old Golden Retriever Willow could be one of the best reading buddies a child could have.  She listens intently, doesn't interrupt and doesn't judge when a child struggles with a difficult word.

Click here to read A Reader's Best Friend

The program, Paws To Read, is helping children's literacy rates.  Currently there is a partnership with the Hennepin County Library system in which kids sit down with a dog and read it a book.

Click here to read and watch Kids Paws to Read with Dogs for Literacy

November 14th is National R.E.A.D. day and a unique program is celebrating it's 10th anniversary. Nancy Brooks, a R.E.A.D. volunteer and her dog, Sassy, stopped by KARE 11 News @ 4 to talk about the 14 reading events planned for around the Twin Cities.

Read the article and watch Celebrate Reading with a Four-Legged Friend

Has your child ever read a book to a dog or cat? They will have the chance on November 14th, when area libraries will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of the R.E.A.D.  (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) program. 

Read the article Books & Animals Go Together for National R.E.A.D. Day