Helping Children’s Reading Skills With Therapy Dogs

Dartmouth sets up program for children to read to therapy dogs at local libraries.

A report from SouthCoast Today speaks about a beautiful break through for local children who have a hard time reading. Therapy dogs are trained to help children and adults through stressful and hard times. Buckeye, a black Labrador mix, is a regular at Southworth Library. The library created a program that allows children to read out loud to therapy dogs. Children between the grades of kindergarden to 6th grade are able to enter the program that happens every Monday during the summer.

The times for each therapy dog is different with Buckeye at 4 to 5p.m, Katygirl at 10:30 to 11:30 a.m and Face at 2 to 3p.m.

The program has been around for a while but recently picked up within the last four years. Now there are 36 children enrolled with a waiting list.

Morgan Mowbray is Buckeye's owner and says that he enjoys watching Buckeye connect with the children and how it has helped the children's reading skills. The reason behind such a calm and learning atmosphere according to Liberian Katie is a sense of an unbiased audience.

"Buckeye doesn’t snicker, he doesn’t laugh, he doesn’t correct them.”

The program can also help students with public speaking and gaining more confidence.

Even with a waiting list, parents are still encourage to call the library’s children’s section at 508-999-0726 ext. 373 and see if there will be spots opened eventually.