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A natural pairing: HOT dogs help reluctant readers
Kelsey Kruzich / Staff Photos – Six-year-old Nolan Brandeland reads to Linda Carmicle’s dog, Landon, at Haggard Library on Tuesday. The library holds the Readers and Waggers event monthly, with the last one of this series taking place on April 17.
By Kelley Chambers, kchambers@starlocalnews.com
Bella Lopez is a regular at Haggard Library. While her visits are primarily fueled by her love for books, the 6 year old also looks forward to something Haggard has that a lot of other libraries don’t – dogs.
“I had a dog and he died in October,” said Lopez, a student at Barksdale Elementary School. “I really like it. It’s a lot of fun, you get to pet them and I get to remember about my dog by reading to dogs.”
Lopez was one of several Plano students who attended Tuesday’s Readers and Waggers, an afterschool program inviting kids in first through fifth grades to read their favorite books to a Heart of Texas therapy dog. The free monthly event is also offered at Davis and Harrington libraries through May and operates on a first come, first served basis.
“I've seen in several instances, children who were reluctant readers who were not excited about reading,” Wilson said. “But when they read aloud to a dog, it inspires them to continue working on their reading skills and they look forward to reading to the dogs.”
While the program is geared toward struggling readers, the library program attracts a mix of kids, as effective readers also look forward to the enrichment activity. It's a relationship Wilson calls, “a natural pairing.”
“Dogs function as non-judgmental listeners,” she said. “They don't laugh if a child makes mistakes. They are the perfect listeners for children who are having a hard time learning how to read.”
Like Lopez, Katy Brandeland’s children try not to miss a Readers and Waggers event because it combines two of their greatest loves.
“They are both veracious readers,” Brandeland said. “They love petting the dogs and being able to read to an animal is very exciting to them. It gets them excited about reading. There’s not enough people who utilize this.”
Studies show that simply petting a dog lowers blood pressure, something Wilson said can help a child who is anxious over the challenges that reading can create for them.
“Before they can become a better reader they have to like reading,” she said. “Unless they have those skills under their belt by the fourth grade, a lot of kids fall further and further behind; this is a really critical age group.”
The therapy dogs are first tested to ensure that they are in good health and can work well with children. They have to be calm, well-groomed and display good manners. HOT Dogs, Inc. also incorporates a variety of breeds into the reading program to accommodate the child's comfort level.
“Some [children] are afraid of large dogs and some are more comfortable with the little ones,” Wilson said. “The really big dogs can almost function as a pillow, while the smaller ones can sit on their lap.
This is the most soothing, calming, most quiet program of all the children's progams at the library, there's just always this calming energy in the room.”
In addition to helping children, Wilson's teams of registered therapy dogs and their handlers also visit hospitals, nursing homes, rehab facilities and assisted living homes. Similar to their effect on children, therapy dogs provide a level of comfort and relaxation, particularly to those suffering from Alzheimer's, or those who may be unable to care for a pet of their own. For them, the time spent with man's best friend may bring back fond memories of their own pets and most importantly, take their mind off their troubles, Wilson said.
“Dogs provide unconditional acceptance,” she said. “They accept people as there are, whether they are disabled or impaired, and that's a wonderful gift.”
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