PETS AND PAGES: Library partners with therapy dogs for reading program
Nov. 30—Reading is an integral part of any students' education, as the skill is one a person will use profusely throughout their lives.
One method teachers use to help their students learn to read is having them dictate lines out loud. However, there are those individuals who are intimidated by the notion of reading aloud in front of their peers due to shyness, fear of judgment for messing up or poor diction, just to name a few factors.
In order to help young students with these fears, the Athens-Limestone County Public Library has partnered with a Huntsville-based group called Therapy Partners Inc.
The group pairs a trainer with a dog taught to be a therapy animal and takes them into settings where their presence is beneficial, such as schools, nursing homes and hospitals.
The ALCPL brings in dogs and trainers every second Wednesday of each month in order to give students in grades first through sixth a non-judgmental, patient and willing audience to practice reading aloud to.
The next program will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8. The program is free, though prospective participants are required to register at www.alcpl.org/youth-services-programming/ with the library. Therapy dogs Luna, Tess and Bogey are set to visit ALCPL this month.
Each session lasts about 15 minutes. Once registered, someone with the library will call the interested party to reserve a specific time to come in and participate.
Youth Services Coordinator Amanda Coleman said this program was started at the library this year, born out of a summer visit Therapy Partners made to ALCPL.
"Over the summer we were contacted by TPI," Coleman said. "Because of COVID-19, the dogs haven't been able to go out and do their jobs as much. They contacted us to ask if we would like to try partnering with them, and they came in and did a program teaching kids how to interact with the dogs and what to do if they come across a strange dog."
Coleman said the dogs are very well-behaved, and the children in the program love them. She said the dogs take their duties very seriously, and handlers have told her they get very excited when they know they are going to work.
"Our new program has been great," she said. "Reading to the dogs helps build (students') confidence, and they are not afraid of reading to the dogs. The dogs love it because they get are getting pets while being read to. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from parents."
Coleman said given how well the program has been received, she hopes to make it an annual event at the library. She said this year's program will run the length of the school year.
Coleman said spots were still available for the Dec. 8 event as of Monday morning.
