Meet Oliver: A Canine Reading Dog
Hi, my name is Cathy, and I am a retired high school English teacher. That should explain quite a bit! Books, libraries, bookstores and cozy reading nooks are some of my favorite places. Reading is a great way to escape, to learn and to use our imagination as we create pictures from the words we read. The simple act of reading a story, a news event or a biography can, very quickly, change our views - it can be powerful.
I’m a proud dog-mom to Oliver, a 5-year-old long-haired dachshund. Oliver is actually a "piebald" doxie, which means he has a mostly white coat with brown patches on his body.
Becoming a Certified Canine Good Citizen
We knew from the moment we brought Oliver home (at 9 weeks) that he was exceptionally social and very loving. I knew about Orange County Animal Allies from a previous dog we had, and their award-winning Canine Literacy Program, and decided that when Oliver was about a year old I would prepare him to be certified as a Canine Good Citizen. This is a certification by the American Kennel Club (AKC) that recognizes a dog’s good manners, and a dog owner’s responsible pet ownership. I worked with him and trained him (doxies are very food motivated) so he was able to get his CGC certification from Zoom Room. We were then contacted by OC Animal Allies, inviting us to join in the evaluation process, which we passed with flying colors. Oliver was ready to be a therapy dog!
Oliver joins the Canine Literacy Program
After Oliver and I started working with OC Animal Allies, I began to see all the communities the organization was involved in. We started with assisted living facilities, where we still participate, and then moved on to other events. After passing the evaluation with OC Animal Allies, the dogs must pass a probation period where they interact with elderly communities and children. That’s when I noticed that Oliver (who loves everyone) was particularly happy around kids. I knew that the canine literacy program would be a perfect fit! I met with Barbara, who is our phenomenal coordinator, and the rest is history. Oliver was officially a canine literacy dog!
We do weekly visits at each school for five-week sessions, and then begin a new round of visits at another school. In the summer, we do a few daily visits for different programs such as Girls Inc., or Boys and Girls Clubs.
Helping kids learn to read
This last week we began a literacy program at a school that is new to our program. All the staff we met were so excited. We were greeted with a "This is the best day ever!" by one of the teachers. It truly is something that most of the school staff gets excited about. The children here are struggling readers, but they all were very willing to read to their canine reading buddy and felt encouraged as the dogs began to relax and lay close to them while lightly napping. I can watch the stress melt away from the student as the dogs do not correct them, or judge them - pups just listen and receive love and petting.
In a recent session, I had a little boy for the entire five weeks reading to Oliver. Initially, he told me he was afraid of dogs, so I made sure Oliver was a little quieter around him. At the end of the five weeks the students wrote letters to each of their dogs, and I had them read the letters to Oliver. He told Oliver that he "used to be afraid of dogs, but not anymore." After he read, I told him to count all the dogs in the room. He did. There were eight. I reminded him that some were very big and some small. He agreed. I asked him if he was afraid with that many dogs in the room. He replied, "No". I reminded him how amazing that was and how proud Oliver and I were of him and his great reading.
It is those small, simple moments that keep us all coming back.
We are proud to be sponsored by Grandma Lucy’s, their human-grade all-natural food keeps Oliver happy and healthy so he can continue to be a positive force in the lives of kids, one reader at a time.
If you want to find out more about Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D. dogs), and how reading programs that use therapy dogs can increase a child's desire and ability to read, you can find out more details about the program started by Intermountain Therapy Animals on their website. If you’d like to find a program near you, check out their helpful map to find a list of affiliate programs in your state.