Pet World Insider Article – Kate Kelly’s “Dog Days Of Summer” – Groucho, a Patient Listener, Teaching Children to Read & The BARK program

Groucho, a Patient Listener, Teaching Children to Read

grouchoface   Groucho is a yellow Labrador retriever owned by Josie Gavieres, who is the power between BARK Therapy Dogs based in Long Beach, California.

When Josie’s son was a young teen, he suggested to his mother that they should become puppy raisers for a local guide dog organization.  They did, successfully fostering six puppies that then went on to school.  Groucho was their last, and though he, too, attended the school’s training program he didn’t qualify for guide dog work.

“No one could teach him to not mark his territory, and that can’t be a behavior that remains with dogs used as guide dogs,” Gavieries says.  She volunteered to take Groucho back, and he quickly passed the tests to be a therapy dog.  With that, Gavieres began exploring how she and Groucho could help others.

“There was a national organization that was working in schools using dogs as reading partners for children.  There were some complications with Groucho and mr getting involved with that organization, but I liked the concept,” she says.

“I decided I would simply start volunteering on my own. To her surprise, she found it a difficult sell.  She called school after school until she found Bryant Elementary School in Long Beach, where the principal said, “Great. Come in.”

Program Has Grown Exponentially

That was seven years ago, and Gavieres now has more than 170 teams of volunteers and dogs who visit schools, libraries, and community centers.

“Children don’t like to be singled out as needing help, so we go into the schools with a specific explanation,” says Gavieres.  “The children selected for the program are there to help the dogs.  We tell them that these dogs also visit nursing homes and hospitals—which they do—and the dogs need to learn to settle down.   The children’s job is to help reinforce good behavior by reading to the dogs so they will succeed in other environments.”

Grouchokids (2)At the conclusion of each eight-week session, a new group of students comes in to work with the dogs and the volunteers.

Read the entire story at:  America Comes Alive    http://americacomesalive.com/2013/08/06/groucho-a-patient-listener-and-teaching-children-to-read/#sthash.Z2DHRIzj.dpuf

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