ANSONIA — Educators and parents everywhere are struggling to find ways to combat the fallout from Covid-19’s harmful impact on childhood literacy and social and emotional well-being.
In a cozy corner in the children’s room of the Ansonia Public Library, a 6‑year-old rescue dog named Julie is doing her part. It is the first time Julie and her owner, Claire Kelley of Woodbridge, have worked with a library to provide young readers with a safe and non-judgmental reading partner.
Julie, it turns out, is all ears.
“Julie is affectionate, mellow and easy going,” Kelley said, of the mixed-breed Border Collie, Australian Shepherd and Shih Tzu she adopted about four years ago. “She is extremely calm, which is a great benefit to her therapy work. She is a happy dog who loves people, dogs, and spending time with her family.”
According to the International Literacy Association, librarians who want to help erase lost reading skills due to the pandemic should choose a quiet area to meet with young children to demonstrate read-aloud activities. Adding a certified therapy dog to listen to a child read aloud positively impacts the performance of cognitive tasks, such as reading, according to a study by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Children can make an appointment to read with Julie on Thursday, March 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the Children’s Room at the Ansonia Library. To make an appointment with Julie, contact Shuart at 203 – 922-3104 or email at jshuart@biblio.org.
“As a child who attended speech and reading support in elementary school, I remember the panic that would set in when asked to read aloud,” Shuart said. “I would count the classmates ahead of me to identify my assigned paragraph, and then read it over and over until it was my turn to struggle through it. In the end, high anxiety and zero reading comprehension was all I got out of it.” Remembering this anxiety motivated Shuart to enlist the dog’s help.
“When children read to Julie they strengthen their self-confidence and quiet their inner doubts” Shuart said. “At that moment, they’re not nervous about being mocked by peers or not impressing their teacher. Instead they’re just comfortably reading a book to a dog. When I see that, I give my 8‑year-old self a high five.”
Kelley said she had similar reasons for having Julie becoming an accredited support dog. “I am a life-long book worm and library lover, so when Jennifer reached out to the therapy dog organization I am part of requesting volunteers I jumped at the chance to combine my love of reading with my love of dogs” Kelley said. “Our main goal is to help provide a non-judgmental listening ear for children to practice their reading, and improve engagement and attendance at the library.”
Kelley is a data scientist at Child Trends, a non-profit organization that conducts research in children welfare. Julie’s new career is a natural extension of her concern for children. Kelley had Julie trained and certified by Pet Partners, a national accrediting organization that provides animal-assisted therapy to patients in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities, seniors living with Alzheimer’s, students, veterans with PTSD, people who have experienced crisis events, and those approaching end of life.
During any given library event, Julie spends about 10 minutes with each child – that’s about as long as Julie can “concentrate,” Kelley said. Because the reading time is one on one, Julie was able to continue to listen to readers despite Covid restrictions, Kelley said.
Some children bring their own books, but many choose from library books, which are typically about dogs or other animal themes. Kelley said Julie’s favorite book, which is available at Ansonia library, is “For the Love of Dogs: An A‑to‑Z Primer for Dog Lovers of All Ages.”
“She likes the fluffy black dog that looks just like her, and the forward is written by one of the leading trainers in positive reinforcement dog training,” Kelley said.
Alexander Shamaly, an 8‑year-old third grader, recently read “Bad Kitty Gets a Phone” to Julie at the library. His mother, Josephine, said Alexander has been resilient throughout the pandemic but expressed a desire to take part in more activities.
“This was a nice activity for us to do together,” she said. “I thought he would enjoy it while at the same time giving him the chance to practice reading out loud. He reads well but is shy about reading in front of others.”
Alexander is already signed up to read to Julie the next time she has calling hours there.
“She’s a good listener and also a good dog,” Alexander said. “I liked reading with Julie and I want to read with her again”.
If you are planning to register for a reading slot with Julie, there are a few personal things to know about her: She likes going on long walks, snacking on miniature Milk-Bone biscuits (for which she will do tricks, if she’s up for it) and loves the peanut-butter birthday cake she gets on her “adoption birthday,” May 20.
With all of this exposure to reading, does Julie have her own book in her future?
“Julie could teach us all many things about love, forgiveness and patience,” Kelley said. “If she were to write a book it would likely be a memoir of all the comfy places she has napped, and all the forests she has chased squirrels in.”
