Reluctant Readers Going to the Dogs –

Canine Therapy Works

It’s always been a pressure for kids at school who don’t immediately take to reading to catch up and after a number of overseas initiatives piloting the idea it is now being tried by a Primary school in Inverness where so called ‘reluctant readers’ are being encouraged to read books to dogs. The pupils at the Primary read to golden retriever therapy dogs Morna and Blue and it is proving to be a great success.

With the dogs the children don’t feel any pressure and they enjoy the whole ‘hands on’ element of interacting with the retrievers. It boosts the kids’ confidence and helps them catch up with the rest. It has been seen to work wonders. The kids start to enjoy the process of reading rather than the pressure of performing in front of an adult.

Shared Experience

It came from experiences in San Francisco’s Chinatown where children had problems controlling their feelings and often failing to express those feelings too. So they brought in Stanley a cocker spaniel therapy dog to teach the kids about empathy and nourish a love of reading. It worked and now it’s working in Inverness. What tail wagger of a story!

Rewards Aplenty

Now I am not suggesting that you give a reluctant reader any of our lovely gifts, but I do think that such heart warming stories should be a reminder lest we forget those around us that have achieved through dint of talent and plain old hard work and celebrate those achievements with a gift.

https://www.jamespirie.com/occasions/wedding-anniversary-gifts.html