The dog is here to help children overcome their shyness and reading difficulties.
A therapy dog has been adopted at a primary school in Wales to help children overcome shyness and difficulty reading. The experiment was a success and the children are waiting for only one. Riley Border Collie’s next visit.
Some students find it harder to read than others, especially when it comes to reading aloud in front of peers.
In more than one country, the effect of having dogs in classrooms on students’ ability to perform this exercise has been tested and confirmed repeatedly with positive results. The study even demonstrated the merits of the method.
According to Wales Online, the experiment was recently carried out at Penybont Primary School in Bridgend, South Wales.
A specially trained therapy dog named Riley visited schoolchildren as part of a joint program between Cariad Pet Therapy, an animal mediation organization, and Because Animals Deserve. The latter is a social enterprise based in Caerphilly.
Riley learned to sit with a reading child to comfort and cheer him up. The Penybont students appreciated the presence of the Border Collie and the support she gave them during the reading session.
For the principal of this school, Robbie Owen, the impact on the students was more than positive.
The children “have all responded with great enthusiasm and are already asking when they can spend another day with therapy dogs,” she says.
