It’s that time of year when charities bring out their best heartwarming stories, and I have to admit the ones that rescue pets always get my check. Call me a crazy cat lady, but I firmly believe that pets bring more benefits to society than we’ll ever realize.
ASBJ‘s research columnist, Susan Black, must have the same soft spot. In the December issue of ASBJ, she devotes her space to heartwarming stories about therapy animals–dogs and cats and other furry friends that even can help children learn to read. Yes, that’s rightthey help children learn to read.
“Therapy animals” are pets that are trained and certified by programs that “are proliferating across the country,” as more schools realize their success, Black writes. In most cases, they are the pets of volunteers or staff who have passed rigorous personality and demeanor tests and have undergone training to ensure they are suitable to work with children.
The concept for the reading programs is quite simple: students who have difficulties reading are placed with a therapy dog that “listens” as the child reads to it. What researchersincluding Blackhave witnessed is that children who are reluctant readers often blossom with a therapy dog.
While they may have been embarrassed or ashamed to read aloud in class, the dog tends to provide a calming effect that allows the child to practice their reading skills more successfully. Studies have found that children who read to dogs gain substantially more points on reading assessments and read at faster rates than struggling children who do not have such programs. The dogs are trained to sit there and listen, perhaps offer a paw for support.
Chicago has six trained dogs from the Sit, Stay, Read program, and because of their success, 30 other schools are on a waiting list for dogs from the program. In Seattle, the Reading with Rover program was an “instant success” in Brian Daly’s second-grade classroom, where students’ skills and attitudes have been boosted by the presence of dogs, Black reports.
There are many other ways such animals can benefit children. Animals have frequently been used with students with disabilities, particularly those with autism or behavioral disabilities. Black has visited special education classrooms where therapy dogs are used to both engage and calm students.
I’m convinced most children have an intrinsic draw to pets. This year as I watched my newborn son become more aware of his surroundings, one of the first things that he wanted to play with (even before all those expensive developmental toys) was Tubby, our 21-lb. orange tabby.
There won’t be any data to prove this, but my cat’s vet is correct when he says that children who grow up with pets are more empathetic and “just make better people.”
It takes a lot of logistical planning and there are liability issues to address, but therapy animal could be an asset to any school. For more information advice on how to set up a program, check out ASBJ‘s article and Intermountain Therapy Animals.
Joetta Sack-Min, Associate Editor
As a brand new puppy owner I value all the help and advice in this article. I want my new puppy to be properly trained and have a healthful atmosphere to live in. Many thanks for the advice.