Dogs help improve kids reading skills

These dogs really had a lot to bark about when it came to getting kids into reading.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Library has been running its ongoing summer "PAWS for Reading" program. The popular program is a successful reading initiative that brings together dogs and kids in a literary fashion.

"PAWS for Reading is a program where children read aloud to therapy dogs in order to improve their reading and communication skills," said Anne Marie Shapiola, children's librarian. "Children read individually to trained therapy dogs, accompanied by their handlers, in schools, libraries, or other settings where they can feel comfortable and confident. A dog will not correct them or make them feel awkward if they stumble and the idea is to instill confidence in them as readers. Hopefully, it will get the children to go home and read to their own pets if they own any, or inspire them to just read more."

Ready to take part as good listeners for an afternoon's reading session at the library were Riley, a 2-year-old Labradoodle owned by Ilene Handal, and Maggie, a 3-year-old Newfoundland, owned by Gary Link. Also on hand were a couple of black Labrador Retrievers named Shadow, a 2-year-old owned by Frankie Andriani and another named Jozy, an 8-year-old owned by Craig and Paulette Gonzalez.

Dog owners who want their dogs to become certified as therapy animals must have their dogs pass through a series of training sessions from local certified therapy training facilities, such as Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs Inc., based in Morris Plains. There are also advanced level training courses, such as the PAWS for reading basic training.

"It's very rewarding to see my dog Riley become such an integral part of helping a child gain the confidence and desire to read more," said Handal.

The "PAWS for Reading" program is affiliated with the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program, which began in the Salt Lake City Library in November 1999.

"We have been a therapy group since 1993," said Kathy Klotz, executive director for the R.E.A.D program, a non-profit organization, based in Utah. "We bring dogs to hospitals and care centers with patients of all ages and conditions. It proved to be very beneficial and that's when we thought we should transfer those benefits to children who are struggling with reading."

According to Klotz, a pilot program was started at the Salt Lake City Library. It was held for four Saturdays in a row and became very successful. In January 2000, the program was held at a nearby elementary school to visit with the same kids that were struggling with reading week after week. Over one school year, the children's reading level actually went up from one to two grade levels.

"Kids lined up to register for appointments," added Klotz. "It became such a runaway hit that we ended as a front page article in the Wall Street Journal. The children who read to the animals get away from peer pressure and have non-judgmental listeners and that makes a world of difference."

According to recent reports, 68 percent of American school children are not reading at their level when they reach fourth grade.

"This is the age where children need to be reading to learn as opposed to learning to read and we feel this program really turns things around for them. We're glad to see how the program has spun off and is now being held in many different towns and cities all over the country."

BY TINA PAPPAS

Women share darkest secrets with their dogs

Dogs may be considered man's best friend, but it is actually women who are closer to their pets and some even admit telling their dogs their darkest secrets, a survey has revealed.

The survey for dog food company Winalot showed that nearly one in five women respondents told those secrets that they wouldn't dare reveal to anyone else, Daily Express reported Thursday.

Some women share a strong bond with their pet and 14 per cent of the respondents believed their dog could read their mind.

In contrast, barely 10 per cent of men were open with their dogs. Most described their pet as a "trusted companion".

Almost a third of dog owners described their as their "most loyal partner" and half of the respondents said that their pets make them feel "more optimistic".

Woman disputes Md. sheriff's department's account of shooting of family dog

A Forest Heights woman disputed the official account of the incident in which her dog was shot to death Friday by Prince George's County sheriff's deputies who had gone to her home to serve an eviction notice.

In a statement, the sheriff's department said that deputies knocked on the front and back doors of the home and made a commotion, but they received no response indicating that a dog was present.

But Donya Williams, 38, said Monday that her 21/2- year-old Rottweiler, Kato, barked whenever anyone knocked on the door or walked by outside. "I don't believe they" knocked, Williams said at a news conference outside the Prince George's courthouse in Upper Marlboro. "He would have barked."

Williams said Kato would be alive if deputies had waited for county animal control officials.

According to the sheriff's department statement, the deputies had called animal control officers to restrain the dog. They had been told by the landlord that the dog was kept in a crate in a basement, the statement said. But the officers, apparently thinking the dog was not in the home, did not wait for animal control officers.

As the deputies went through the home, the Rottweiler "charged them from an unknown location. Due to being in a confined space, with no place to retreat, the deputy discharged his firearm to protect himself and his partner from serious bodily harm," the statement said.

Asked to respond to Williams's claim that the deputies had failed to knock before entering the home, spokeswoman Sgt. Yakeisha Hines said, "That's her opinion."

Hines said that the deputies had been trained how to enter a home where a dog might be present and that she was confident they knocked before entering.

She said it would not have mattered if the deputies had waited for animal control officials, because the deputies would have entered first. Deputies search homes to make sure they are safe before allowing civilians inside, Hines said.

The deputy who shot the dog is on administrative leave with pay while the sheriff's department investigates the incident, she said.

The sheriff's department was criticized two years ago after members of its SWAT unit stormed the home of the Berwyn Heights mayor and fatally shot his two black Labradors during a botched drug raid.

Authorities said Mayor Cheye Calvo's home was raided because a package of marijuana had been delivered there. Authorities later acknowledged that the mayor and his wife had nothing to do with the delivery and were not involved in drug trafficking.

An internal investigation by the sheriff's department found no wrongdoing by the deputies who killed Calvo's dogs.

Williams, an executive assistant for a national association in the District, said she was hospitalized for post-traumatic stress for two days after the shooting. She said she had spoken with Sheriff Michael A. Jackson.

Williams said Jackson told her that he was sorry but that his deputies did what they had to.

"He's already told me he believes they did the right thing" before the investigation is complete, Williams said.

Jackson did not respond to a call seeking comment.

By Ruben Castaneda