Celebrating Ten Years
of Reading Education Assistance Dogs
By Patricia Joaquin and Elizabeth Shannon
Dreams do come true. Ten years ago, nurse Sandi Martin woke up in the middle of the night with the dream that struggling young readers could benefit from contact with animals like they did in hospitals, rehab centers, residential centers and care facilities. The next morning she discussed her idea  with the Executive Director of Intermountain Therapy Animals in Salt Lake City, Utah. On November 14, 1999 the pilot program of Reading Education Assistance Dogs® began. Personal experience and testing proved it to be a huge success. Since then, the dream has come true as R.E.A.D.® has grown to over 2,300 teams, helping children learn to read in 49 states, Canada, England, Belgium and Germany.
Here on Long Island and around the world, R.E.A.D. teams make regular visits to schools, libraries, after school centers, day camps, and Scout troops. During a R.E.A.D. session, one child at a time reads to one specially trained therapy dog. The dogŐs handler is present too, but the children mostly pay attention with delight to only the dog. The handlerŐs job is only to observe without correcting the childŐs reading. Sessions last from 15 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the setting. Struggling young readers relax and enjoy a canine friend who is a nonjudgemental listener. The dog doesnŐt laugh at their mistakes, make fun of them, or correct them. This allows children to have fun and enjoy the process of reading. Reading Education Assistance Dogs provides a positive, secure atmosphere that builds self-confidence, self-esteem, and improved reading skills.
Becoming a R.E.A.D. team to enjoy this rewarding activity is a two-step process:
The first step is for you and your dog to become a registered pet therapy team. Contact a dog therapy organization and ask them for names of evaluators near where you live. Therapy Dogs Incorporated (T.D.Inc.) has tester/observers on Long Island. (Do not confuse this organization with Therapy Dogs International, also called T.D.I. and sometimes T.D.I.,Inc., which is a different therapy organization that doesnŐt permit its members to belong to other groups, including R.E.A.D.) You can reach TDInc. at www.therapyanimals.com or 877-843-7364. Another good therapy dog organization that permits R.E.A.D. is Delta Society (Delta.org; 425-679-6500).
The second step is becoming a registered R.E.A.D. team. After you and your dog have become a registered therapy dog team, you order the training materials from the R.E.A.D. office at www.therapyanimals.org/read or 801-272-3439. Study the training materials and practice with your dog. You can also take a R.E.A.D. workshop. Then take the short written test included in the training materials. Mail the test and proof of therapy dog registration to the R.E.A.D. office, which will then mail you your R.E.A.D. ID tag and card.
R.E.A.D. members have access to a wealth of valuable resources. A yahoo group, staff members, templates for bookmarks, posters and such, material for publicity, and much more are available to you as you and your dog live the dream come true of helping children learn to read
Happy Tenth Anniversary, R.E.A.D.!
For more information, contact R.E.A.D. at
www.therapyanimals.org/read
or call 801-272-3439
You can also contact:
Elizabeth Shannon - eabs@optonline.net
or Patricia Joaquin - taj334@optonline.net
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