Does Your Child Need a Reading Buddy? Get a Dog

Parents know the joy of reading Good Night, Moon or Are You My Mother? over and over…and over! Kids latch onto their favorite books and want to hear nothing else, or their stack of bedtime reading books is taller than they are. Reading is great for kids – it’s essential! But it can get tiring, if you want to be honest. And kids who are just starting to read can feel judged or pressured when they stumble over words. The answer? Dogs.

Dogs rescue people; they search for roadside bombs to keep soldiers safe; they lower blood pressure and reduce stress; they detect certain cancers. Now an early elementary school in England is finding man’s best friend to be a young reader’s best friend as well. These “read dogs,” as they are called, are specially trained greyhounds. Their job is to listen as a child reads aloud to them. They provide the perfect, nonjudgmental, patient audience.

The school in England has added Danny to their staff. After receiving five months of training, Danny is used as a reading buddy. Danny’s owner, Tony Nevett, says, “It helps with their self-esteem in reading out loud because he is nonjudgmental. He doesn’t judge them and he doesn’t laugh at them. He’s just a tool – the children don’t realize they are reading, which they might not have the confidence to do in the class.”

Does it work? Nevett sites one student, a girl with Down’s Syndrome, who has improved her reading with Danny’s help. Even though Danny never says a word – or maybe because Danny never says a word – children are confident and unafraid to take risks when it comes to reading aloud. And when Danny dozes off? “When Danny goes to sleep I tell the children that he’s dreaming about their story.”

In the United States, Reading Education Assistance Dogs are brought in by community centers, libraries, therapy groups, and more to help children gain the confidence they need. And it helps children enjoy reading, which is important for success later in school.

One question you may have: why greyhounds? Apparently, these wonderful dogs are used because they do not bark and their short hair is less likely to trigger allergies in their human reading buddies.