Library Goes to the Dogs

Eleven-year-old Jamie Rinklin entered the Reading Public Library on a recent Wednesday to read aloud to a listener who couldn't possibly understand him.

Despite his lack of comprehension, Pax, a 5-year-old German shepherd, sat politely, tongue dangling and tail wagging, as Rinklin read from Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet."

"It's stimulating for [Pax]. You can see his little mind working," said his owner, Deborah Wex.

She and Pax represent one of four dog-and-owner teams that volunteered for the library's Paws to Read program. The program pairs young readers with furry listeners for fifteen minutes blocks.

The dogs act as non-judgmental listeners, said Corinne Fisher, the library's Head of Children's Services, and won't give negative feedback when children mispronounce words, stutter or repeat lines.

"The point of this was really to increase self-esteem and confidence in reading," Fisher said. And, she said, as the reader's confidence builds, so does his ability.

She initially opened registration to reading-impaired children that work with a public school reading specialist, she said. One of those students, Fisher said, told his mother daily that he was going to read to a dog, and that he was practicing.

The program began in late June and will end Aug. 25. Fisher said she hasn't decided if she will repeat Paws to Read, but, the response exceeded the program's capacity. Fisher said Paws to Read launched with 60 slots. Children snapped them up and spilled onto a waiting list. Fisher said volunteers added another 18 openings, and accommodated all but six children on the waiting list.

The program also attracted people who were not regular library users, and gave the library a "new way of connecting to people."

Should she repeat the program, Fisher said she would like to find therapy dogs that live nearer to Reading. Of the four dog she found through Dogs Building Opportunities for Nurturing and Emotional Support (Dog B. O. N. E. S., for short) one lives in Marshfield.

"That's a long drive," Fisher said.