[kids-lib] Program with Reading Assistance Dogs

Wed Mar 26 11:19:54 PDT 2014

Karl,
We had much the same experience in McMinnville as Carrie did.  On paper is always sound like such a  good idea but the logistics of getting it to work are tough.
Becky

From: Kids-lib [mailto:kids-lib-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Kimbre Chapman
Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2014 11:15 AM
To: CARRIE KASPERICK
Cc: kids-lib at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Subject: Re: [kids-lib] Program with Reading Assistance Dogs

Karl,

I'd like to add that our dog was also a trained therapy dog who went to nursing homes and hospitals.  She was very gentle.  We called the program Reading with Rosie (the dog's name was Rose).  The program ran for about three years, ending shortly before I left.

Kimbre

From: CARRIE KASPERICK <ckasperick at ci.monmouth.or.us>
To:
Cc: "kids-lib at listsmart.osl.state.or.us" <kids-lib at listsmart.osl.state.or.us>
Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2014 9:08 AM
Subject: Re: [kids-lib] Program with Reading Assistance Dogs

Hi Karl,
We had "Paws to Read" at my previous library in Colorado. We had a partnership with a therapy dog group who brought the dogs for the program as well as to hospitals for therapy. What is nice about partnering with an established group like this is that they are insured and the dogs are trained to be gentle. I'd be mindful of these issues when you are developing your program. Paws to Read met once a month on a  Monday evening, and we set up appointments in advance. The program started out with great success and then dwindled to a couple families showing up consistently. Eventually we had to scale back the number of dogs and then cancel the program. It was a lot to ask of the dog owners when we were having no-shows. I think something like this would work really well in the summertime and may go great year-round as well. You never know until you try, and I'd encourage you to do it. Best of luck in this and in your new job! I'm sure we'll be meeting you soon!
Carrie Kasperick
Monmouth Public Library
503-751-0182

On Tue, Mar 25, 2014 at 7:28 PM, Kimbre Chapman <kimbrec at yahoo.com<mailto:kimbrec at yahoo.com>> wrote:

Hi  Karl,

When I was the Children's Librarian at a public library near Boise, we tried a Read-to-Dog program. There had been a program prior to my time there and there were problems with scheduling children to show up at the time the service dog was there.  The appointments were made but the children didn't show. A few other libraries I knew of had similar problems. I tried a different approach with a kindly man and his really sweet dog, but he came to us rather than having to find him. The pair came in for informal Saturday sessions, once a month and then later for special programs. He would read to the children and they would read short passages to each other.  I'd pick out books of varying levels, but always high interest. It was informal, low key and had no sign up.  A big draw was the dog, who was beautiful, great with kids and an unusual breed. At the end of the reading, dog bone cookies would be served.  Games were added to the reading and homemade cookies when later we started doing special holiday parties with the dog. I thinks this works in a small library.  Another program that worked was coordinating with one of the local schools that had a number of stuggling readers. The dog and her trainer went to the school for about an hour once a week during the children's time in the school's library.  The children would read to the dog, which worked pretty well too. To connect this with the library, I'd visit once a month with a puppet or two, along with some brand new picture books.

Hope this helps.

Kimbre Chapman
Children's Services Supervisor
McMinnville Public Library
503-435-5569
From: Karl Thang <karl at creswell-library.org<mailto:karl at creswell-library.org>>
To: kids-lib at listsmart.osl.state.or.us<mailto:kids-lib at listsmart.osl.state.or.us>
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 4:00 PM
Subject: [kids-lib] Program with Reading Assistance Dogs

Hi, everyone!

I'm Karl, the new Youth Librarian in Creswell. I'm looking into bringing a Reading Assistance Dog (preferably from the READ program) for an event this year; has anyone implemented an event that connects the dots between service dogs + kids + reading? I'd love to hear from you! Did you connect with the READ program or did you have better luck reaching out to local veterinary organizations? What activities did you do -- was it a 'storytime with a dog' or something more involved, like letting kids read to the dog?

Any info would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!

--
Karl Thang | Youth & Community Services Librarian, Creswell Library

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--
Thank you,
Carrie Kasperick
Youth Services Librarian

Monmouth Public Library
Phone: 503-751-0182
Fax: 503-838-3899

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