R.E.A.D. Dogs Minnesota

Ann Goplen and her reading assistance dog, Midnight, visit the Spring Valley Public Library to share about how they, as a team, help people. After Goplen read to the children and Midnight sat and listened, the children were allowed to pet the dog.

It's two wags past Midnight, and somebody's kid wants to read. Midnight, a 7-year-old border collie-Maremma mix, is just the dog to help. Midnight, is a warm and loving, unconditional listener to whom children can be close and read to so that they eventually develop enough confidence in their reading skills to stay up late with a book and a flashlight. Midnight, a companion to Ann Goplen, provides children's reading assistance and is a certified therapy dog enrolled in the Pet Partners Reading Education Assistance Dog (READ) program.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Study suggests link between early reading skills and later intelligence.

THURSDAY, July 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Young children with strong reading skills may be on a fast track to a brighter future, a new study suggests.

Kids with above average reading skills may have higher intelligence levels as they get older, according to British researchers.

The study included 1,890 identical twins from Great Britain who were given reading and intelligence tests when they were ages 7, 9, 10, 12 and 16. Because each pair of twins had the same genes and home environment, any differences between them had to be due to factors they didn't share, such as the quality of their teachers or friends who encouraged reading, the researchers suggested.

Differences in reading skills between the twins were linked to later differences in intelligence, including areas such as vocabulary and reasoning. The reading abilities associated with later enhanced intelligence were evident by age 7. This suggests that even early reading skills may affect a child's intellectual development, the study authors said.

The study findings were published July 24 in the journal Child Development.

"If, as our results imply, reading causally influences intelligence, the implications for educators are clear," study leader Stuart Ritchie, a research fellow in psychology at the University of Edinburgh, said in a journal news release. "Children who don't receive enough assistance in learning to read may also be missing out on the important, intelligence-boosting properties of literacy."

The findings may also help to explain why different children in the same family can have different levels of intelligence, even though they share genes, living conditions, and parents, the researchers said.

Click here to read the complete article.

What has four legs, a tail and helps children practice reading? Simple, the answer is the certified therapy animals at the Paws to Read with an Animal event at the Plymouth Library.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

The University of Minnesota is presenting a conference this fall called:  Speak! The quality of interactions between humans and animals. 

Friday, September 26th
8:30am to 8:30pm
MN Landscape Arboretum

Speak! is about our human partnership with animals and the natural world and the ways in which interacting with animals increases individual health and community well-being.  Click here for all the details.

The agenda looks absolutely fantastic with nationally and locally recognized speakers.  This is a day you will not want to miss.  Registration is now open!

What a party it was!

On Saturday, April 12 2014, the public and R.E.A.D. teams celebrated 10 years of Reading Education Assistance Dogs in Minnesota.





It was a great turnout with R.E.A.D. lovers and R.E.A.D. teams enjoying each others' company, gifts, prizes, and snacks. 

Mary Steinbicker, the Golden Valley Children Services librarian, kicked off the party with a welcome and thank you from Hennepin County Libraries.   It was thanks to Mary's excitement to try something new ten years ago that there are now reading with dog programs in all seven county metro area libraries.

Nancy Brooks, R.E.A.D. Dogs Minnesota manager, and her dog Sassy became the first R.E.A.D. team in Minnesota in 2004.  She thanked the R.E.A.D. teams for their dedication to R.E.A.D. and their continued enthusiasm for the program.

We all enjoyed the key note speaker, Nancy Carlson, book author, illustrator, and genuine dog lover.  The audience loved hearing Nancy talk about her books and sharing her art work. 

The afternoon was filled with lots of smiling and tail-wagging with both 2-legged and 4-legged beings enjoying their time together.  Many people left the event with their arms full of the prizes they won at the event.


Click here to view the pictures from the event.

During the NBA's Read to Achieve campaign this March, the Minnesota Timberwolves recognized community volunteers helping to improve young readers' literacy skills. On Friday, March 28th they featured the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.). Ann & Midnight and Mary & Reggies were two teams that were thrilled to accept the recognition on behalf of all the R.E.A.D. teams in Minnesota. After their time on court the dogs and 12 other R.E.A.D. teams enjoyed the game in their own suite. Life is a ball!

See the video of the presentation and the certificate below.

Read more about this story on the Timberwolves' web site:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/heroes-making-reading-education-assistance-dogs.

Volunteers bring therapy animals to libraries to help young readers

Last weekend the Westonka Library in Mound welcomed a few new furry friends - three therapy dogs.

The dogs came in as part of the Paws to Read program at the library. Westonka Library has been hosting the Paws to Read program for a number of years.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Murphy, my 11-year-old border collie mix, and I are a registered therapy animal team, volunteering together since 2007. It all started after I retired as an air-traffic controller and I desired to continue being productive. What would be better than volunteering with your favorite furry, family member?

Click here to read the rest of the article.

THE big event of the season for R.E.A.D. teams will be Thursday, August 22nd.  Join your fellow R.E.A.D. teams for an evening of fun, ideas, information, and networking.


Click here for all the juicy details!

For the second year in a row the students and parents of Zachary Lane Elementary School celebrated World Book Night at a special R.E.A.D. event. 

It was a great way for students to practice their reading and share a book with an eager listener while being supported by a reading mentor.  The fun of a R.E.A.D. session was tied in with the goal of giving parents an opportunity to read a book and set the example of recreational reading for their children.

We had 62 children R.E.A.D. with the dogs and the rabbit.  There were over 120 people in attendance.  We gave away 80 books from World Book Night and 74 children's books.

The program had coverage from Channel 12 and from the Sun Post.

A big thank you to the following volunteers for helping make the event so memorable!

Mary & Reggie (pictured above)               Linda & Murphy (in the video)
Connie & Molly (in the Sun Post)              Carol & Honey (the bunny)
Dianne & Haylee                                       Louise & Fury (in the video)
Susan & Polly                                           Christine & Rupert
Nancy & Franklin                                       Anna, Jenny, & Julie

To see additional pictures see the school's web page or Facebook page.