Talking to animals always seems easier than talking to people; they listen, but don’t judge.

For many students, reading in front of an audience can be a daunting task, or for some, a very stressful or difficult situation. However, the benevolent presence of animals can help.

At Watertown High School, the Reading Dogs program is helping students read and speak with confidence, by improving their public speaking skills.

Laura Rice has been working with her three long-haired, pure-breed Dachshunds — Promise, Lily and Zebedee — since she adopted them in Promiseland, Penn., when Lily (Promise’s mother) was 4 1/2 years old.

Lily is blind, and bred to be albino. Promise, 11, has a handicap herself, and her back legs are in a special wheelchair, allowing her to move by using her front legs, and rolling on the hind end.

Since then, she has taken the trio to work in hospitals, where they cheered patients, and were certified as service dogs by an organization called Dog Bones, which focuses on “people training” more than dog training.

Slipping a Cheerio in between the pages of books teaches the dogs to be interested in books, and when each child starts to read, they give the dogs a Cheerio.

“We’ve done a few hundred sessions, so repetition is key,’’ Rice said.

The dogs love to work with the kids, and they have been doing so for 6 years. For their first three years, they went to Franciscan Hospital for Children, and later participated in a group reading program at Watertown Library.

When the kids enter the room to begin the class, they immediately gather around the dogs on the floor, smiling and petting them.

“It’s not as much about facility of reading, it’s just enthusiasm and excitement. It creates a little community,” said Rice. “The kids are comfortable and it’s just fun.”

A number of special education teachers have been amazed. In an atmosphere with the dogs, no one emphasizes how well anyone reads. Everyone is glad to participate. At the beginning of one reading session, the kids immediately came into the room, excited, and started socializing with the dogs, who fascinated them. The dogs seemed to be familiar with most of the kids, loving the attention.

Before the reading began, some of the WHS students shared their praises and observations for the program.

“The [goal of the] reading dogs is to get social with the dogs and read poems and stories to help us get through the process, to teach us to make it easier to read,’’ said one student.

Another commented, “I like the reading dogs because I always read poems to them, and they listen.”

“I like this program because it’s therapeutic for people. I like [the dogs].”

“I love dogs, but I don’t have a dog. Meeting other people’s dogs is fun.”

During the session, the kids were reading stories and short poems about dogs. Before reading, the students gave each dog a Cheerio, and the dogs sat in front of them, listening intently. It seemed to relax the students, and allow them to tune out the rest of the distractions in the room and focus solely on reading.

Even when a student lost his place a few times, he was able to regain it quickly, and even while reading, he continued to interact with the dogs. As the session continued, the kids got more outspoken and happy in the relaxed atmosphere, and it was clear that the presence of the dogs was a positive influence on their confidence in front of the group.

The benefits of this program are a service to the community, and a great way for kids to have fun, and become more confident in their reading abilities.

–April 2, 2015–