Therapy Dog: Ruger the Reading Tutor

“He helps us. He helps us concentrate on our work,” said fifth-grader Rosa Rangel, a student in Dana Wieland’s classroom. Student Esmeralda Gurrola added, “When you read to someone and they tell you it’s wrong, you get angry. But Ruger doesn’t say anything.”

Joining Ruger about once a month in Wieland’s classroom are Bitz, a bouncy year-old boxer-pit bull mix, and Kali, a golden retriever. All are certified therapy dogs through Therapy Dog International and owned by Karen Boeing of Trevor, Wis., a longtime friend of Wieland. Wieland said she remembers her friend asking about volunteering to bring Ruger into the classroom for the first time about four years ago. Her first response was it was a great idea, but she was not sure how to incorporate a Rottweiler into her lesson plans. Since then, she has a yearly ritual of spending three weeks preparing students for the dogs and incorporating reading and writing lessons throughout the school year with Ruger as the focal point and the incentive. Stories written by her students about Ruger are posted on a bulletin board outside the classroom.