There’s something about their curious eyes. Their rhythmic breaths. Their warm, comforting bodies. Somehow, it seems impossible to feel anxious while reading to a dog.
This is good news for kids who might need some extra help getting the words off the page. A study out of the University of California at Davis found that children who read aloud to a dog improved their reading skills by 12 percent when compared to children who only read with an adult. Therapy pets, as educational therapist Rebecca Barker Bridges told KQED, allow kids to focus on the animal instead of their own insecurities. They’re an uncritical, reassuring audience. (A dog will not say, “Actually, it’s pronounced ARC-tic.”) The furry friends benefit from the activity, too—reading to shy dogs can help put them at ease.
There are a number of programs around the country that provide or train therapy dogs to help children learn how to read, while also building empathy and lowering anxiety. They include:
Intermountain Therapy Animals’ Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ). A literacy program with thousands of affiliate teams around the world. Here’s a map where the teams are located.
Therapy Dogs International’s Tail Waggin’ Tutors. A volunteer program that provides therapy dogs to kids throughout the United States.
Reading With Rover. A community-based literacy program in the Seattle area.
Pet Partners’ Read With Me. A training program for volunteer therapy animal teams.
Humane Society of Missouri’s Shelter Buddies Reading Program. A reading program designed to help shelter dogs become more adoptable. Kids sit outside of the dog’s kennel and read to them.
Of course, you can also simply have your kid read to little Buster while you stay out of sight. And if you don’t have a family dog, Bridges says a stuffed animal can be an effective fill-in.