DOGS ARE A READER'S BEST FRIEND

In a climate of continual standardized testing and increased scrutiny on student reading achievement, educators must persistently analyze students’ reading abilities and correlate them to success in and out of an academic setting. School systems are searching for innovative techniques and methods to support struggling readers and guide them into fluency. Educators tirelessly seek to discover fresh and inventive methods to entice reluctant readers to read more often for pleasure. Numerous schools systems across the United States appear to have found an unlikely solution to attract the unenthusiastic reader: dogs in the library. Reluctant readers are interacting and reading aloud with unusual partners, certified therapy dogs. Reading to non-judgmental, non-threatening canine companions allows students to build confidence and spend time in their reading. This paper explores existing programs that utilize dogs as reading partners with the purpose of encouraging reading and fluency.