“It’s not everyday you meet a dog who wants to read with you,” said Joseph Justice, a fifth grader with an unconventional reading companion.
For him and the other fifth graders at Hillandale Elementary School, such visits happen once a week.
Shiloh is a 10-year-old therapy dog who goes to Hillandale every Tuesday with her owner, Donna French. There, the two sit with students in a small office and the students read aloud from their favorite books. The meetings are meant to foster reading and speaking skills in a friendly, comfortable setting.
According to French, Shiloh has come a long way since she was adopted. She was found abandoned on the side of the road during a thunderstorm, pregnant with a huge litter of puppies. After the mother got her checkup and the puppies were adopted, Shiloh came under French’s care and earned her certification as a therapy dog. She doesn’t like elevators because of their shaking, so she can’t work in a hospital, but she loves to go to schools all over the county and read with children.
During a normal meeting, Shiloh lies down on a blanket and listens contentedly to passages from the students’ library books. She is quiet, a good listener and always happy to be pet. There’s no pressure on the student to read quickly or strongly, so hanging out with Shiloh is a relaxing way for children to improve their reading skills.
“The kids will tell you that it’s much easier to stand up in front of the class and read than it was before,” French said on the impact of the program.
Fifth Grade Teacher Rebecca Norris confirms that the children have learned a lot from Shiloh. Students with lower reading aptitude find it easier to read to a dog, so their confidence grows with their comprehension. Not only have their skills improved, they’ve developed a passion for reading that most ordinary lessons don’t produce.
“They pretty much beg to be the next person to read with Shiloh,” Norris said. “The dog accepts you no matter what.”
(Written by Jake Browning, Western Carolina University, Public Information Office Intern, HCPS.)