R.E.A.D. Dogs Minnesota

The hope is man’s best friend can make a difference in young Rush City students who lack confidence, have short attention spans and are struggling with reading scores for their age and grade.

Through a program called Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) Minnesota, dogs and their owners can become therapy teams and help out on a monthly basis beginning this school year. Parent contacted the program after hearing many positive reviews about it from other schools and libraries.

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__On a weekday evening inside a Baraboo library, a little bit of magic is happening.  Seated on a snuggly fleece blanket between a fortress of books, a child is learning to read—by reading aloud to a dog.

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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.

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_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.

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.

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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.

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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