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Sometimes Friendly Ears are Furry Ones
Stephanie Panza, 8, reads to Bo of Fidos for Freedom at Bond Mill. "The dog is . . . a pleasant motivator," says Mary R. Jalongo, an education professor who has studied the effect of reading assistance dogs.
(Andrea Bruce - Twp)
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Mary R. Jalongo, a professor of education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania who has studied the effect of reading assistance dogs, said the main result of a dog's presence is to increase a child's enthusiasm for reading.
"There is a considerable body of evidence to suggest that when children are not interested . . . and do not have an expectation of performing well, they will not only resist those tasks but also come up with inventive ways of avoiding it," Jalongo said. "We're not dreaming here; we don't think that dogs are some kinds of miracle workers. But the dog is what I would say is a pleasant motivator."
Seven third- to sixth-graders came to the class at Bond Mill one recent week ready to read. Although Patric was not raving about "Bully Trouble" -- "Not good. Because it's a bully book" -- Casey Day, a sixth-grader, seemed to enjoy her novel, titled, ironically, "No Dogs Allowed!"
"It's about a girl named Christine whose horse just died," explained Casey, 11. She was offered a dog as a replacement but "doesn't want to get too close to the puppy because she fears losing it."
Animals are close to Casey's heart: Asked to name her pets, she listed two frogs, two shrimp, a chinchilla, three dogs, a guinea pig, a rabbit, a cat and three hamsters.
"I like reading more than when I first started," Casey said. "I didn't think it was going to be very fun. I only went because of the dogs. . . . Dogs are very sweet, and they understand how you feel. If you make a mistake, they won't be all, 'That's wrong.' "
Casey made a good team with Cassie, a female Pembroke corgi. The dogs are trained and certified and tend to be very calm, but Cassie seemed slightly restless, chewing her belly fur for a bit and then lying on her side as Casey read.
"Now that he had the round -- " Casey said, stumbling, " -- the round bales," she went on.
"You know what this is?" Javornik asked, pointing to "bales."
Yes, Casey said. "I feed my guinea pig and chinchilla a lot of hay."
Casey went on reading, the fingers of her left hand tracing the words on the page, and the fingers of her right softly touching Cassie's fur.
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