PAWS FOR TALES

– est. 2003 –

ASHKA

8 year old Sam Was Having a Very Bad Day.

First his sister yelled at him for taking so long in the bathroom. But he couldn’t help it. His tummy hurt! Then his mom and dad argued again at breakfast. Something about not having enough money to make ends meet. Whatever that means.

On the way to school, the kids on the bus teased him about his torn pants and stained shirt. It was all he had! Geesh! And Sam felt nervous about having to do his school math problems over and over till he, “Got it right. Finally.”

But in the back of his mind, Sam was excited. He knew there was a bright, very special part of his day ahead!

He stared at the clock throughout math and waited as the hands moved slowly towards 9:30. Finally, the bell rang. Mrs. Johnson’s class moved quietly in a line to the next class, Reading.

As Sam walked into the classroom, his smile began to grow and his eyes widened. Five familiar dogs were scattered about the room. They were wearing their red Paws for Tales vests and lying on their reading blankets. He knew all their names by heart: Louie, Ashka, Rosie, Paddington and Palmer. Volunteers sat, smiling beside their dogs, waiting for Sam and his classmates.

Sam grabbed his favorite book, the same one he had read to Rosie last week. He patiently sat, waiting for his turn. Finally, Ms. Jackson called his name. She sent him over to read to Mr. Dave and Paddington. Sam carefully sat on the reading blanket and looked into the kind brown eyes of this dog that made him so happy. Sam knew he wasn’t a very good reader, but Mr. Dave told him, “Just do your best. Paddington won’t mind if you miss a word or two.”

For the next few minutes, all Sam’s worries were gone. He read his favorite story to the beautiful, calm dog and everything felt right. When his reading time was up, Sam looked around the classroom, watching his classmates smiling and reading to the other Paws for Tales therapy dogs. They looked just as happy as Sam felt!

PADDINGTON

What is a therapy dog?

“A certified therapy dog provides comfort and affection, and their handlers are volunteers who visit hospitals, schools, nursing homes, hospice, libraries, and other facilities. These therapy animals have no special rights and must have the permission of the facility to visit. There are usually requirements such as grooming, providing veterinarian records, and proof of certification.”
Kropp, Jerri J.. 2017. “Review of the Research: Are Therapy Dogs in Classrooms Beneficial?.” School of Human Ecology Faculty Presentations. Presentation 132. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1173578.pdf

Research over the last 30 years has proven the benefits of therapy dogs in the classroom.

‘Five to six consecutive visits (with therapy dogs) will raise them (children) two reading levels.”
Schwartz, M. “Therapy dogs’ presence steadily grows in libraries.” Library Journal (2012) https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/therapy-dogs-presence-steadily-grows-in-libraries

“Referenced University of California study that found a 12% boost in reading proficiency when kids read aloud to dogs 10 – 15 minutes per week.”
Weller, Chris. “Why every school should bring dogs into the classroom.” Business Insider. August 21, 2015. https://www.businessinsider.com/why-every-school-should-bring-dogs-into-the-classroom-2015-8

“Most participants improve their reading skills by at least two grade levels of the course of an entire schools year.”
Newlin, Robin. “Paws for Reading: An innovative program uses dogs to help kids read better.” School Library Journal. June 1, 2003. https://www.slj.com/story/paws-for-reading-an-innovative-program-uses-dogs-to-help-kids-read-better

“After being in the classroom for a year with a therapy dog named D.D., students took the Qualls Early Learning Inventory (QELI), a measure to gauge developmental progress of students. The averages of students coming out of the preschool classroom with D.D. that scored ‘developed’ or ‘proficient’ were significantly higher than both the district and state averages.”
Pillow-Price, K., Yonts, N. & Stinson, L. “Sit, stay, read: Improving literacy skills
using dogs.” Dimensions of Early Childhood 42, no. 1 (2014): 5-9. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=source:%22dimensions+of+early+childhood&ff1=dtysince_2013&pg=5&id=EJ1044105