Fridays from 3:30-4:30
Our beloved therapy dog program, Tail Waggin’ Tales, is back in business! This after-school program is designed for young readers to boost their skills & confidence by reading to a certified therapy dog. Our furry friends are great listeners and lend a non-judgmental ear to help take the pressure off of reading out loud for beginner or reluctant readers. Tail Waggin’ Tales will take place over four 15-minute sessions after school with one child per session. We will of course have a large selection of books to choose from, but feel free to bring a favorite from home to read!
Registration is required to sign-up for a timeslot, so please stop by the library to sign-up in person.
Meet Our Pups
Name: Annabelle
Breed: French Bulldog
Background: Annie has been a therapy dog since 2013.
Next Session: 2/16
Name: Lily Rose
Breed: French Bulldog
Background: Lily has been a therapy dog since 2022 with her sister Lily Rose – it runs in the family!
Next Session: 1/12
Name: Onyx
Breed: Mini Australian Labradoodle
Background: After extensive training starting as a puppy, she has been ATD certified since 2020 and visited all school levels and visits hospitals and care centers affiliated with Maine Health.
Next Session: 2/23
Name: Paddy
Breed: Golden Retriever
Background: His owners run a teen summer camp where he is lavished with belly rubs & attention all day long. Participating in this program was a natural next step for him.
Next Session: 1/26
Name: Karma
Breed: St. Bernard
Background: Volunteers at the Portland Jetport, where Karma eases travel anxiety and greets folks before they disem-“bark” as they’re arriving to Maine. She loves people as much as people love her.
Next Session: 2/2
Name: Tashia
Breed: Golden Retriever
Background: Born on Christmas 2017 & has been spreading cheer ever since. Tashia loves people & loves being a therapy dog. Her special skills include accompanying any fiddle being played!
Next Session: 2/9
Benefits of Reading to Dogs
Learning to read is tough, and learning to read with an audience is even harder! Beginning readers may already feel nervous about their skill level and reading aloud to loved ones or a group of peers may increase these nerves tenfold. Trained therapy dogs are a patient, non-critical third party that allow kids to shake off their anxieties about reading aloud and take the opportunity to work on their skills.
- Great if you are self-conscious and nervous about making mistakes in front of peers.
- Dogs don’t care about mistakes, they’re just happy to be there.
- Allows kids to think about the reading itself rather than what others are thinking/having to read perfectly, lowers the stress of reading aloud.
- If you get frustrated, not to worry! There’s a happy pooch right there just waiting to have its head scratched!
