New reading method is literally dog-eared

Jennifer Paley, who has taught second grade for the past 12 years, has initiated several unusual programs for her students.

Her most recent idea is providing therapy dogs at Van Corlaer Elementary in Schenectady, where she teaches children who have trouble reading.

As a result of the effort, the kids are not only reading faster but also comprehending more of what they are reading.

Listening pup

"Reading therapy dogs help students develop confidence in their skills, and they help the children get over their fears," noted Miss Paley, a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady.

The dogs visit the school three times a week during reading time in the library. They come with their trainer, who is also a reading volunteer. Each dog lies quietly next to the student as he or she reads out loud from a storybook.

Sophie, a Portuguese Water Dog, recently stopped by the school for the first time. The two students assigned to read with her were Jacob Caldwell, 8, a third-grader, and Stephanie Donato, 10, a fourth-grader.

It was Jacob's first time working with a therapy dog and he admitted beforehand, "I'm a little scared of the dog."

Taking a bow-wow

Sophie was accompanied by her owner and trainer Maryann Meskutovecz, who conducts therapy dog and puppy obedience classes for Therapy Dogs International.

Both she and Miss Paley belong to the group, which sponsors 50 therapy dogs and four disaster stress relief dogs throughout Schenectady County.

"Sophie is seven years old," Mrs. Meskutovecz explained to the children. "She is a very sweet dog."

"Can she do any tricks?" Jacob asked tentatively.

"Oh sure, Sophie can do lots of tricks," the trainer noted.

Hand-in-paw

Within five minutes, Jacob was issuing commands to Sophie that he learned from Mrs. Meskutovecz -- come, sit, stay -- and Sophie was eagerly obeying.

Within ten minutes, Jacob, Stephanie and Mrs. Meskutovecz were all seated on the floor of the library with Sophie. Jacob read to the dog from a storybook called "Dog's Tales."

Sophie was paying rapt attention to Jacob, her head resting on her paws.

Okay-nine

Miss Paley told The Evangelist that the program came about as the result of her work with her own therapy dog, Ella, a Newfoundland.

Research on therapy dogs and students with reading problems has shown that because the dogs are non-threatening and non-judgmental, the children's skills flourish.

"We have one student who could read and understand 47 words per minute in October," the teacher said. "After working with the therapy dog for just a few months, that same student now reads and understands 77 words per minute," with "a 95 percent accuracy rate as well."

Kids and pups

Miss Paley said that "students not only have a positive experience with the dogs, but they actually emotionally bond with them."

When a child first encounters a therapy dog, she said, they might be shy; but usually by the end of the first or second session, the child is "smiling and relaxed, petting and even hugging the dog."

She added that the reading therapy program works because therapy dogs don't judge struggling readers.

"They help the child build confidence in themselves. Being able to read to the dog allows a child to feel special," she noted.

Furry friend

Stephanie, who has been reading to dogs since the program began in September, said that she can't wait for her reading time in the library each week.

"I come here because it's fun," she said. "The best part is getting to know the dog. It's fun to read to a dog because they listen to you. I've learned a lot about the different dogs."

Because of the success of the program at Van Corlaer, teachers in other Schenectady city schools have requested handlers from Therapy Dogs International.

Ann Kaczkowski, director of the Schenectady chapter, said, "Therapy dogs are of great value, especially in nursing homes and institutions. The program at Van Corlaer has been successful because the school staff understands the purpose of therapy dogs. The environment they provide makes a good match for the children and the dogs."

(Therapy Dogs International is a volunteer organization dedicated to the regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their handlers. Dogs go through rigorous training before they are certified as therapy dogs. Each must be able to accept strangers with no anxiety, sit for long periods, have favorable responses to other dogs and distractions, maintain supervised separation from their handler, and be able to say hello -- or the canine equivalent. For more information, go to www.tdi-dog.org or call Ann Kaczkowski, 842-1352.)

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