PORT TOWNSEND –Serafina likes stories with a snappy ending. Cindy prefers the rhythmic pace of poetry.
Chanate likes cat and bird stories, while Bisee is head over heels about Boodil, the hero of her favorite book.
“This is the one we’ve been practicing with,” said Kate Schumann, Bisee’s owner. “It’s a very funny book about a bull terrier.”
Schumann is a dog trainer who has recruited a whole pack of canine volunteers for a new program that Olympic Mountain Pet Pals is offering at the Port Townsend Library starting Saturday.
Encourages reading
Called “Read to Rover,” it encourages children to read by having a therapy dog listen to them read aloud.
“Children of any age will benefit, even beginning readers,” said librarian Beverly Moore.
“Kids who just like dogs and want to look at a picture book can talk about the pictures.”
Moore’s greyhound, Serafina, is retired from racing but volunteers in the program, as does Bisee, Schumann’s 14-year-old standard schnauzer.
They and six other canines are certified therapy dogs that have received further training from Schumann to become Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.).
The premise — reading to a dog takes the fear and intimidation new readers often feel out of the situation.
“Research shows that children who are learning to read feel more relaxed and less self-conscious when reading to animals,” Schumann said.
“The program aims to improve reading skills, nurture a life-long love of reading and help children bond with animals.”
Just being around dogs has been proven to lower blood pressure, one of the reasons therapy animal programs are growing.
