Read to a Furry Friend at the Library
By Marci
Some people are addicted to online shopping. I’m not one of them. I actually have a library addiction. I know, it sounds weird. At any given time I have books out from three different libraries. Not only do I love frequenting libraries for the books, but they also offer fantastic programs, most of which are free! When I saw Linwood Library announce a new program called Read to a Furry Friend, I couldn’t wait to take my kids to check it out. They love reading and love dogs so it was a perfect match.
Donna Downs has had a successful dog training business for the past 38 years. In addition to training service and therapy dogs, she also started a reading program at several of the local libraries which recently expanded to Linwood on the first and third Tuesday of the month from 4:30 to 5:30pm. She brings her two dogs. Erin who is a 5 year-old long haired German Shepherd and Cody who is a 3 year-old chocolate Labrador. Donna’s friend, Colleen McIntyre, also brings her German Shepherd named Freedom. Children and adults are invited to read to the dogs who will sit or lay while listening to the books.
So what are the benefits of reading to dogs for children? There are so many! For children who may not be strong readers, it gives them confidence to read in front of an attentive audience. This makes them more likely to sound out words and take their time while feeling less self-conscious. The dogs are trained to go into a default position when being read to and the reading relaxes the dogs.
In addition to visiting libraries, Donna’s dogs also visit nursing homes and schools. There is something extremely comforting and relaxing about being in the company of a dog. Donna told me that not only do children attend the library programs to read to the dogs, but many adults attend regularly just to give hugs to the dogs because they find it calming, especially after a particularly difficult day.
If you can’t make it to the Linwood library on the first or third Tuesday of the month from 4:30-5:30, Donna goes from Linwood to the Mays Landing library from 6:30 to 7:30pm. You can also find her at the Galloway Library on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 6:30 to 7:30pm. If you are interested in more information about Donna’s dog training programs, you can reach her at downsdogtraining@gmail.com and for more information about programs at the Linwood Library, you can visit https://linwoodlibrary.com. Go read to a furry friend soon. It will make your day!
