Pups help kids build confidence as readers

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This article was published 02/01/2018 (3116 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BALTIMORE — The grey and white pit bull sat in the centre of the circle of Grade 5 students. He listened attentively as the students took turns reading to him. At times, his droopy eyes appeared to lock with those of the readers.

Four-year-old Knox is one of the “pet ambassadors” who travel to Westport Academy Elementary/Middle School every Tuesday to listen to students read as part of an effort to improve their reading skills and boost their self-esteem.

Organizers say practising reading with dogs promotes confidence among students who may struggle to read at grade level.

The Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, one of the country’s oldest animal welfare groups, has been working with the school since January.

“I was one of those kids growing up that reading out loud was scary for me,” said Katie Flory, the Maryland SPCAs community affairs director.

“A lot of the kids here feel the same way. But with the dogs, they don’t have to worry about that. They’re not being judged.”

Similar programs are catching on in animal shelters and schools across the country. Principal Melody Locke said it has already influenced the culture in the South Baltimore school.

“I can say that interest in reading has definitely increased,” she said. “This is a piece of the puzzle, just getting them interested in picking books up.”

In 2010, researchers at the University of California, Davis studied a group of students who read to dogs once a week for 10 weeks. They found that third graders improved their reading fluency by 12 per cent.

“The students always look forward” to reading to the dogs, third grade teacher Kelsey Stritzinger said. “Their faces light up anytime I say, ‘We have SPCA today.’”

Deasia Allen, a 10-year-old fifth grader, said she has become a more confident reader since the dogs started showing up at her school.

She likes it so much that she started reading to her own dog at home. She said her chihuahua, Missy, is a much more attentive listener than her little sister.

“My dog never gets up and says, ‘I want to leave, this is boring,’” Allen said.

The SPCA hopes to leave students with more compassion for animals and each other. The students go on field trips to the shelter, and learn how to show love and care to cats and dogs.

— Baltimore Sun