Therapy dog helps youth develop literacy skills

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This article was published 07/04/2022 (1489 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Serving as a paw-sitive influence to help community youth enhance their literacy skills, therapy dog Jessie will be visiting the Western Manitoba Regional Library Brandon branch each Saturday until June.

“She just loves people. She prefers people over dogs in the dog park,” Jessie’s owner, Earl Martin, said with a grin. “She wants to do [therapy].”

The duo has been engaging in therapy work for about four years, although their ability to connect with the community has been limited due to COVID-19.

Martin and Jessie were first introduced to the idea of therapy work when his father-in-law was dying of cancer.

“He loved her. One of the last things he wanted to do was to say goodbye to her,” Martin said. “We snuck her into the hospital in a small town and the nurses kind of looked the other way.”

After seeing the positive impact of Jessie’s visit with his father-in-law, Martin was compelled to share her with the community.

During her Saturday visits to the Brandon Public Library, Jessie will hang out with youth who are looking to grow their literacy skills. Her specialty is helping some of the shy readers come out of their shells.

“With a dog, there’s no judgment, no pressure. The dog just seems to open them up,” Martin said.

The pair began working in the library in February as part of the Brandon and District Chapter Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba (LDAM) spring reading program for children. Martin said he hopes the program can continue to grow and include new youth so Jessie can make more friends.

“Nothing makes her happier.”

LDAM’s partnership with Martin and Jessie came about after a request from the organization’s board to start a reading program for youth in the community, said Brandon chapter executive director Jacqueline Goods. The key takeaway was that programming was needed for all youth in Westman, not just those with learning disabilities.

The ultimate goal of the Brandon chapter of LDAM is to help foster a love of reading in all community youth.

LDAM had done some work previously with the Brandon Public Library prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members believed bringing a therapy dog for reading time along with arts and crafts would be a great way to reconnect with community youth.

The LDAM spring reading program targets youth between the ages of five and nine.

Jessie has proven to be an easy-going dog who is a sweetheart to work with, Goods said, and is often greeted by hugs each week by participants.

“The kids, they just love her. I think it’s a highlight for them to come and see her.”

LDAM reading program volunteer co-ordinator Betty Braaksma connected with Goods at the dog park in Brandon.

Braaksma is a retired librarian formerly of Brandon University. She was looking for volunteer opportunities and quickly came on board for the Brandon Public Library children’s reading program.

“I’ve just brought some of that library background into the readings we’re doing, a little more programming aspect to it, [and] we’re doing crafts,” Braaksma said. “All of that is to develop kids’ skills.”

During library programming, Braaksma will incorporate a theme along with any stories featuring dogs she can find to complement Jessie’s presence. For example, they had a Superhero Saturday in mid-March, incorporating superhero stories into reading activities and having the children draw Jessie as a caped crusader.

The programming offered at the library benefits youth’s reading skills, along with art and writing abilities, Braaksma said. The purpose is to make learning and visiting the library fun.

“The dogs, they make it very relatable for the kids and many, many public libraries have therapy dog programs where the kids read with the dogs or read to the dogs,” Braaksma said. “The dogs have no judgment. If kids are reluctant readers or just learning to read, they feel very safe with the dog there because the dog doesn’t care if they make mistakes.”

Braaksma has seen firsthand how dogs can help youth have fun learning during the LDAM reading program. Week to week, she has seen participants’ confidence and progress grow, and they begin to open up to the volunteers.

The program has also proven to be popular with English as a second language young people, and they have incorporated language acquisition into programming.

“You can see the enthusiasm when they come in. Wanting to look at the books and knowing Jessie is here,” Goods said. “It’s a bit of routine, but at the same time, they know there’s a fun aspect.”

The program fits LDAM’s mandate of encouraging youth to have a fun learning environment. School is extremely structured for students, she said, so volunteers at the Saturday program work to give young people an alternative where they can build their literacy skills and develop a love of reading.

LDAM has seen really positive results so far and has had parents comment that they are seeing an improvement in their children’s skills.

“It’s just amazing to see their progression,” Goods said.

The program is still growing to meet the needs of the community. The LDAM team hopes to see the program continue to expand and include more children, while still seeing engagement from participating young people.

“The partnership with the library has just been so positive. It’s not just providing us with a space, but they also gave us the support, the materials,” Braaksma said. “They’re really open to making this an enriching experience for the kids.”

The program at the Western Manitoba Regional Library runs from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturdays from April to June. To register for the free program, call 204-727-4669, email ldambdn@mymts.net or visit brandonldam.ca.

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