Reading to Dogs ... a "Pawsitive" Experience

“Little did we realize what an impact the program would make. Academically, those students that participated in R.E.A.D. experienced phenomenal growth. And, as icing on the cake, students began to enjoy reading to themselves, too, began to exhibit a curiosity for different books, and most importantly, gained self-confidence in not only their reading ability, but their ability to interact with others in positive ways,” says Rae Louie, Principal of Bennion Elementary School in Salt Lake City.

There does seem to be something almost magical about the interactions that take place between children and animals, and it’s more than entertainment.

William Glasser, Ph.D., in Choice Theory in the Classroom (1998), suggests that, once basic survival needs are met, there are four great motivators: love, power, freedom and fun. R.E.A.D. incorporates each one of these motivators.

First is love. Dogs provide unconditional acceptance. They do not judge, criticize or belittle efforts; they don’t care if we are fashionably dressed, or whether we make mistakes. And they never, ever humiliate us.

Family therapist Rich Chakrin, M.A., in Oxford, Michigan, calls this phenomenon the “gift of being welcomed,” and says it’s an important key to developmental learning that parents can also create with their children. After hearing about R.E.A.D. he now asks those in his parenting classes to consider dogs as role models—because, as R.E.A.D. has shown, the dogs make a child feel so safe and accepted that s/he can relax and feel free to blossom.

Another keystone in the program’s success lies in a role shift, in which kids who are accustomed to feeling inadequate or incompetent suddenly get a chance to become the teacher who helps their R.E.A.D. dog understand the story. It’s an interesting, if illogical, phenomenon—children certainly realize that they are not teaching their dog to “read,” but they remain eager to explain everything about the story to him. Here is where power and freedom come in. The children get to feel the power of competence and accomplishment, and the pride that arises when they realize they have a gift to offer another being. Focusing on what they are able to give instead of get makes them literally glow.

Feeling powerful, in any context, is energizing, exhilarating, and liberating. So is stretching mental skills and being able to help someone else, even if that someone is a canine friend!

The fun of being with animals doesn’t need explanation, but there’s something else that is important when children read to dogs—the motivations are direct and an integral part of the experience, rather than indirect or secondary.

Other recent research reveals the bleak news that, in addition to all those millions of Americans who don’t know how to read, there are millions more who simply don’t like to read and, more and more, are choosing not to. The American Booksellers Association now estimates that the average American reads less than one book per year.

How do we help our children learn to love reading? While educators debate at length over how to answer this question, the R.E.A.D. program is creating rich reading experiences for children all over the country.