| Toffee, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Waldner and other first graders at Brandon Elementary have the opportunity to practice their reading skills through the “Tailwaggin’ Tutors” program, a division of Therapy Dogs International, Inc. Photo by Jill Meier |
Toffee’s heard the story of “Dick and Jane” more times than she can count on all four paws. But the mild-mannered Cavalier King Charles Spaniel doesn’t seem to mind a bit. Because listening to kids read is what she’s been trained to do. And she knows that along with the childrens stories come plenty of belly rubbing and doggie treats.
Toffee, a certified Therapy Dogs International pooch, and her handler Sandy Lundberg, have been making weekly visits to Brandon Elementary since early last spring. Their mission is simple: To build children’s confidence in reading and to make reading fun for the kids.
“We’re not here to teach them to read,” Lundberg said. “And just reading to a dog, some of the kids get so excited.”
Each week, Toffee and Lundberg schedule an hour at the school, listening to three first grade students read for 20 minutes at a time. Lundberg has scheduled first grade student to read to Toffee for four weeks. Fortunately, Lundberg and Toffee also came armed with a bag of their own supplies: an assortment of books for the children to read, a fleece blanket for Toffee’s comfort, and of course, doggie treats.
Principal Merle Horst thinks Toffee and Tailwaggin’ Tutors program is cute, too. So cute in fact, that he didn’t want to limit the Tailwaggin’ Tutors program to just students who struggle with reading. “I want all the kids to have an opportunity to read here,” he said. “This gives each student the opportunity to practice reading in a total different type of environment than the regular classroom. It’s relaxing and no one’s making a judgment if they make an error in their reading. I think that’s the benefit.”
For the full story visit:
http://www.brandoninfo.com/article/20101222/NEWS/101222005/1001/UPDATES
