Dogs lend young readers in Swanton nonjudgmental ears

Noah Waszak of Toledo rewards Lucky with a pat on the head for listening to him read 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw' in the Paws to Read program. JETTA FRASER Enlarge

Lucky C. Brown doesn't ask the schoolchildren who read to him at the Swanton Library to speed up or slow down. He doesn't snicker when they make mistakes. And he certainly doesn't complain if he's already heard the stories they've chosen.

But he always appreciates it when his young readers give him a nibble of carrot or a few Cheerios after their 20 minutes of reading are up.

Lucky, a registered "therapy dog" belonging to Swanton resident Carol Brown, is one of the regular "volunteers" at the library's summertime Paws to Read program, now in its fifth year. His job is to help young readers, many of whom find reading aloud to others intimidating, improve their confidence.

"Lucky is nonconfrontational," Mrs. Brown said. "He doesn't correct them. He's a good listener."

"He just sits there, looking at you, and he looks like he's listening to you," said Noah Waszak, 9, of Toledo, who was one of three children to read to Lucky, a Labrador mix, last week during the first of six Thursday sessions to be held in the library this year.

Noah read from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw to Lucky after his friend Cody Mohr, 9, of Swanton took the first seat and read from The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. Cody, shyer than his friend, said he had wanted to participate in Paws to Read for a while "because I like dogs."

"This is a very good program. It gives them [children] a chance to relax" while practicing their reading, said Barb Mohr, Cody's grandmother.

Margie Seeman, who runs a Swanton day-care center, said, "I'm in favor of any program that will get the kids reading. It's important to read all summer long - it keeps them up where they need to be in school."

She said she requires that her charges participate in reading 30 minutes every day.

Some children come to Paws to Read only once, but "many come back week after week," Leanna Chappell, the library's head of children's services, said.

"The program definitely brings them to the library, shows them that the library can be a fun place, and best of all, helps keep them reading during the summer," Ms. Chappell said.

Mrs. Brown said she adopted Lucky from Planned Pethood about eight years ago, when he was about 2 years old. He had to complete obedience courses and a six-week "therapy dog" class that concluded with a certification test before he could serve in that role.

A key test for certification, Mrs. Brown explained, is that the dog remain calm when its handler leaves it behind in a room with strangers. He also must get along well with other dogs and with people.

Therapy Dogs International provides insurance to the volunteer handlers whose dogs qualify for its programs, under which the pooches go to hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, and other places to be companions.

"Lucky is my dog. I trained him," she said, distinguishing him from assistance dogs that are trained to help people with disabilities by someone other than the person with whom they live after that training is finished.

At the library, Mrs. Brown stays in the room near Lucky, while the children sit on a pillow next to the dog.

But she doesn't say anything about their reading unless they ask for help, which Mrs. Brown said the children rarely do.

"It helps me with summer reading club," said Brett Reeves, 11, of Swanton, who chose High Tide in Hawaii to read to Lucky. "I like to read to other people, or animals."

The Paws to Read sessions begin each Thursday at 11 a.m. and are held in the library's community room so they can't be overheard from other parts of the building.

Sign-ups are accepted in advance, but readers may register on the same day if space is available. Up to eight readers can be accommodated on any given day. The sessions are to be held Thursdays through July 29.

"It's a great program. It gets the kids to read a little bit more, and they feel more comfortable reading to an animal than to other kids," Carrie Reeves, Brett's mom, said.