The idea began with a simple observation: a dog does not laugh when you get a word wrong. In November 1999, Sandi Martin, a former intensive-care nurse, served on the Intermountain Therapy Animals board in Salt Lake City. She set up a four-week pilot at the city’s main library. That is when the term reading to dogs program was used. Kids signed up for a time slot and sat on the floor with a therapy dog and its handler. They read out loud.
The reading to dogs program became Reading Education Assistance Dogs, or R.E.A.D.
Its mission, in the organization’s words, is to improve literacy through registered therapy teams mentoring learners.
How a session works
In libraries, children book appointments and can earn a new book, “autographed” by the dog, when they finish. In schools, teachers pick struggling readers for weekly one-on-one sessions of 20 to 30 minutes in a quiet corner with floor pillows, always with the same dog and handler so the child builds a relationship.
The organization’s own explanation is that the dog is a nonjudgmental listener, so the child is not criticized or embarrassed in front of classmates, and that petting a dog is relaxing.
One of the stories the organization tells is of a 10-year-old who finished a 32-page picture book and announced: “I’m finished. I’ve never read a whole book before, ever in my life!”
What the research says
A 2016 systematic review in PLOS ONE examined 48 papers.
It credited R.E.A.D. as the first high-profile reading to dogs program to advocate children.
The review concluded this practice may have a beneficial effect on behavioral processes that improve reading performance.
The same review noted that the strongest evidence from controlled trials is still thin.
Since 1999 more than 7,200 R.E.A.D. teams have registered across the United States and in Canada. They operate in the United Kingdom, Italy, Finland, France, Sweden, South Africa, Slovenia, and Spain. This includes the reading to dogs program.
The mission statement of the organization that started it is seven words long. “Enhancing quality of life through the human-animal bond.” This guide has shaped its work for years. It continues to influence how volunteers engage with communities and literacy programs.
Sources
- Intermountain Therapy Animals, About ITA
- Intermountain Therapy Animals, R.E.A.D. FAQ
- Hall, Gee and Mills, Children Reading to Dogs: A Systematic Review of the Literature, PLOS ONE (2016)
Credit: Staff Sgt. Laurie Ellen Wash/U.S. Army. License: Public Domain. Source: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/5809387/dog-visits-wiesbaden-library-paws-read-aloud-program
