AMESBURY — Hoping to improve reading skills in an exciting and stress-free environment, the Amesbury Public Library recently brought back its Read to a Dog program.
“It’s open to any age. We are focusing on those sort of reluctant readers, sort of those that are working on their reading skills, which can be many levels and many different ages,” Library Youth Director Clare Dombrowski said.
The program, which debuted last year, comes to the library thanks to Deb Kaneb and her black Labrador, Gus.
“Gus is a certified reading dog, so it is actually a program that they have to go through to become certified,” Dombrowski said.
Kaneb explained that she and Gus experience tremendous joy working with kids, and were happy to offer the program to the library.
“He provides a calming presence while they read to him. I help with words if the child asks, but the goal is to have the child read unselfconsciously and look forward to reading, so I only help if they ask for help,” Kaneb said.
Dombrowksi called Gus “a very friendly lab.”
“He loves the loves the attention and is a very patient listener. He’s really quite fantastic,” Dombrowski said.
Dombrowski’s assessment was verified when Kaneb sent the Daily News a video of Gus patiently allowing her son’s puppy to use him as a miniature jungle gym, remaining completely stoic as the younger pup got its energy out.
With last Thursday having been the first day of the program’s return, Dombrowski said she loved seeing some familiar faces.
“A number of the kids who have come back came back specifically because it was Gus,” Dombrowski said.
The program is completely free.
“So that is fantastic as well for us to be able to offer that,” Dombrowski said.
She shared she has seen the program help a lot of kids refine and expand their skills.
“Some of the benefits are that kids are excited to read and they’re working on their reading aloud skills to a very understanding and patient audience. It gives them a little bit of confidence in their ability to read,” Dombrowski said.
The 15-minute sessions are held on the second floor in the teen loft.
“It’s a little bit quiet back there. Sometimes it can be two kids at the same time. We’ll go back there and we try and create a nice kind of quiet and calm space,” Dombrowski said.
The program is currently scheduled to go through until March, offered on alternating Thursdays.
“Depending on the popularity of it, we may be able to continue a few more months,” Dombrowski said.
She said so far it has proved to be very popular, with kids very eager to get their turn with Gus.
“It is also very limited in terms of number of people because it’s one family or one little group per time. So we do have a number of people on the waiting list for the upcoming sessions,” Dombrowski said.
Sessions are not fully booked, however, so parents are encouraged to register as soon as they can by visiting the library’s calendar at: www.amesburypubliclibrary.org