THERAPY DOGS

Therapy dogs visit hospitals, nursing homes and schools. These dogs and their handlers are certified in order to do this volunteer work.

I have been blessed over the last 20 years with a job I love. The privilege of working with so many wonderful dogs and their families made me want to find a way to give back. I found a way through doing therapy work with Jetta. I wanted to be with children, because I know how a dog can help to build a child’s self esteem and just generally make them feel good. Through research and networking with a colleague of mine, I came across a national program called R.E.A.D. This is a program where therapy dogs go into libraries and children take turns reading to the dogs. I loved this idea, and wanted to bring it to a school. I was then told about The Banyan School in Fairfield, NJ. I approached the school and we all decided to give the program a try.

We then came across another program called The R.O.C.K. Group. R.O.C.K. (Reading Outloud Creates Knowledge) is a reading program designed to encourage students with learning disabilities to read for fun. Reading instruction in the Language Learning Disabilities class emphasizes mastering the sound/symbol relationship of letters and words, which leaves little time left over for reading for pleasure. The R.O.C.K. Group meets that need by making reading "fun" for those children who have the most difficulty reading. The premise is simple, the students read to nonjudgmental audiences, such as the dogs. A presentation for the school was set up and we are now participating in this program with The Banyan School. This is a wonderful program for the children. We have 4 therapy dogs on the team and hope to have more in the future.

If you would like more information on the program, please visit the R.O.C.K web site.

To learn more about therapy dogs, please click on the websites below.

The Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc.

Delta Society
                                                                                        
Therapy Dogs International
                                  

                               Ask the animals and they will teach you......Job