Post by CampWhippet on Apr 22, 2006 15:14:42 GMT -5
You need to print this out and take it to your boss at the library ;D
Let reading dogs lie... . . . and share a book with them!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Mark Ellis
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Yankee, a greyhound, holds down the page as 10-year-old Raymond ‘‘Buddy" Shafer, of Newark, reads. Yankee is owned by Salena Thrasher of Granville, Ohio.
NEWARK, Ohio — Characters in books sometimes seem larger than life, but 8-year-old Joshua Woods had no trouble sizing up Mudge, the dog in the Henry and Mudge series.
Mudge is just like Madison, the English mastiff who took a seat in the downtown Newark Public Library recently to share some reading time with Joshua. Madison sometimes pressed a paw the size of a dog-food bowl against Joshua’s leg, sometimes closed her eyes and was always a gentle listener.
‘‘I really liked it," said Joshua after reading to Madison. ‘‘When you read you get to learn about stuff you might not know yet."
Joshua, a second-grader at Ben Franklin Elementary School in Newark, was one of 20 kids who each spent 20 minutes that day with reading-helper dogs and the volunteer adults who own them. The dogs and their caretakers are part of the free Dog Tales program run by Angel Paws, a Newark nonprofit organization that also arranges therapy-dog visits to hospitals and nursing homes.
Dog Tales takes four dogs to the Newark library for two hours on Saturday afternoons. The six-week session ends April 15, and more library programs are planned.
The idea was born about seven years ago in Salt Lake City, where a nonprofit organization paired health-care therapy dogs and kids struggling to read. The Reading Education Assistance Dogs program developed training standards for the animals and their handlers and has spread around the country, reaching more than 3,000 kids in recent years.
Angel Paws, founded in 2003 by Patti Shanaberg of Newark, is an affiliate of Reading Education Assistance Dogs. More volunteers and donations will lead to more reading programs, she said.
Reading programs being planned in Licking County schools will focus on children with learning disabilities. Library programs are open to all children.
A young reader is empowered by reading to an animal, Shanaberg said, and that builds academic confidence.
‘‘It takes the peer pressure off," she said. ‘‘Dogs love unconditionally. They are going to respond in a positive way."
Some of the children who read to dogs at the library have difficulty reading or getting excited about reading; others, such as Joshua, enjoy books and look for opportunities to read.
‘‘It’s great for him to have something to do," said Kelly Woods, Joshua’s mom.
Madison also likes the assignment.
When her owner, Gloria Goodwin of Granville, Ohio, pulls out the blue neckerchief worn by Angel Paws animals while on duty, Madison knows it’s time for action.
‘‘She gets excited, and that’s about the only time I see any energy," Goodwin said. ‘‘Otherwise, she’s sleeping."
Goodwin has seen the chemistry between child and dog. ‘‘They get very relaxed reading to her," she said. ‘‘She doesn’t make fun of them. If they mispronounce a word, it’s no big deal to Maddie."
During the library session, Jenna Linton, 10, of Pataskala, tripped on the word cautiously while reading to Samantha, a mostly golden retriever owned by Shanaberg.
Shanaberg asked the Kirkersville Elementary School fourth-grader to try again so Samantha would understand.
Jenna had stretched out beside the resting dog, who enjoyed steady stroking.
Children who read with Samantha also can feed her treats provided by Shanaberg.
‘‘I like to read to dogs and pet dogs and stuff," Jenna said. ‘‘I like to read about dogs, too."
Jenna’s mom, Reita Linton, is a Newark children’s librarian. ‘‘When this came about I thought, ‘Wow. This is great,’ " Linton said.
‘‘Jenna loves animals, and she does have some trouble reading. Reading to a dog or a pet should help a child because the dog is not judgmental.
‘‘They can just read because it’s something they like."
The dogs’ training separates them from the pack, Mrs. Linton said, and puts the library staff at ease.
Volunteer Salena Thrasher of Granville, a former dog trainer, took her greyhound Yankee to the library program.
‘‘He loves people," Thrasher said. ‘‘He almost never gets real animated. He does not lick, but he does stick his nose in people’s faces.
‘‘We did a lot of training."
Volunteers and their therapy dogs are evaluated and registered by the Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit Delta Society, an affiliate of Reading Education Assistance Dogs.
Training standards go beyond obedience, said Shanaberg, a Delta Society evaluator.
Volunteers and their dogs must pass a 19-part skills and aptitude test.
‘‘The main goal is to inspire confidence in safety and control," she said. ‘‘The dogs have to respond willingly and reliably to verbal commands. They have to enjoy it.
‘‘The dog has to be well-socialized. We need to see that they work together well as a team and while interacting with other people, which is the trick."
Cats ‘‘are a little trickier," but cats and their owners are welcome to volunteer, she said.
‘‘That would be wonderful."
One student, 12-year-old Cassie Shafer, a fifth-grader at West Main Intermediate School in Newark, started reading to her cat, Alley, at home, after reading to dogs in the library.
‘‘She falls asleep on a pillow," Cassie said.
mellis@dispatch.com
Let reading dogs lie... . . . and share a book with them!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Mark Ellis
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Yankee, a greyhound, holds down the page as 10-year-old Raymond ‘‘Buddy" Shafer, of Newark, reads. Yankee is owned by Salena Thrasher of Granville, Ohio.
NEWARK, Ohio — Characters in books sometimes seem larger than life, but 8-year-old Joshua Woods had no trouble sizing up Mudge, the dog in the Henry and Mudge series.
Mudge is just like Madison, the English mastiff who took a seat in the downtown Newark Public Library recently to share some reading time with Joshua. Madison sometimes pressed a paw the size of a dog-food bowl against Joshua’s leg, sometimes closed her eyes and was always a gentle listener.
‘‘I really liked it," said Joshua after reading to Madison. ‘‘When you read you get to learn about stuff you might not know yet."
Joshua, a second-grader at Ben Franklin Elementary School in Newark, was one of 20 kids who each spent 20 minutes that day with reading-helper dogs and the volunteer adults who own them. The dogs and their caretakers are part of the free Dog Tales program run by Angel Paws, a Newark nonprofit organization that also arranges therapy-dog visits to hospitals and nursing homes.
Dog Tales takes four dogs to the Newark library for two hours on Saturday afternoons. The six-week session ends April 15, and more library programs are planned.
The idea was born about seven years ago in Salt Lake City, where a nonprofit organization paired health-care therapy dogs and kids struggling to read. The Reading Education Assistance Dogs program developed training standards for the animals and their handlers and has spread around the country, reaching more than 3,000 kids in recent years.
Angel Paws, founded in 2003 by Patti Shanaberg of Newark, is an affiliate of Reading Education Assistance Dogs. More volunteers and donations will lead to more reading programs, she said.
Reading programs being planned in Licking County schools will focus on children with learning disabilities. Library programs are open to all children.
A young reader is empowered by reading to an animal, Shanaberg said, and that builds academic confidence.
‘‘It takes the peer pressure off," she said. ‘‘Dogs love unconditionally. They are going to respond in a positive way."
Some of the children who read to dogs at the library have difficulty reading or getting excited about reading; others, such as Joshua, enjoy books and look for opportunities to read.
‘‘It’s great for him to have something to do," said Kelly Woods, Joshua’s mom.
Madison also likes the assignment.
When her owner, Gloria Goodwin of Granville, Ohio, pulls out the blue neckerchief worn by Angel Paws animals while on duty, Madison knows it’s time for action.
‘‘She gets excited, and that’s about the only time I see any energy," Goodwin said. ‘‘Otherwise, she’s sleeping."
Goodwin has seen the chemistry between child and dog. ‘‘They get very relaxed reading to her," she said. ‘‘She doesn’t make fun of them. If they mispronounce a word, it’s no big deal to Maddie."
During the library session, Jenna Linton, 10, of Pataskala, tripped on the word cautiously while reading to Samantha, a mostly golden retriever owned by Shanaberg.
Shanaberg asked the Kirkersville Elementary School fourth-grader to try again so Samantha would understand.
Jenna had stretched out beside the resting dog, who enjoyed steady stroking.
Children who read with Samantha also can feed her treats provided by Shanaberg.
‘‘I like to read to dogs and pet dogs and stuff," Jenna said. ‘‘I like to read about dogs, too."
Jenna’s mom, Reita Linton, is a Newark children’s librarian. ‘‘When this came about I thought, ‘Wow. This is great,’ " Linton said.
‘‘Jenna loves animals, and she does have some trouble reading. Reading to a dog or a pet should help a child because the dog is not judgmental.
‘‘They can just read because it’s something they like."
The dogs’ training separates them from the pack, Mrs. Linton said, and puts the library staff at ease.
Volunteer Salena Thrasher of Granville, a former dog trainer, took her greyhound Yankee to the library program.
‘‘He loves people," Thrasher said. ‘‘He almost never gets real animated. He does not lick, but he does stick his nose in people’s faces.
‘‘We did a lot of training."
Volunteers and their therapy dogs are evaluated and registered by the Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit Delta Society, an affiliate of Reading Education Assistance Dogs.
Training standards go beyond obedience, said Shanaberg, a Delta Society evaluator.
Volunteers and their dogs must pass a 19-part skills and aptitude test.
‘‘The main goal is to inspire confidence in safety and control," she said. ‘‘The dogs have to respond willingly and reliably to verbal commands. They have to enjoy it.
‘‘The dog has to be well-socialized. We need to see that they work together well as a team and while interacting with other people, which is the trick."
Cats ‘‘are a little trickier," but cats and their owners are welcome to volunteer, she said.
‘‘That would be wonderful."
One student, 12-year-old Cassie Shafer, a fifth-grader at West Main Intermediate School in Newark, started reading to her cat, Alley, at home, after reading to dogs in the library.
‘‘She falls asleep on a pillow," Cassie said.
mellis@dispatch.com
