Sit, Stay, Read

Rocky, SSR's 2009 Dog of the Year

There are many children in school that can find reading difficult. All kids have the ability to learn but some learn better using different methods. Chicago has a huge public school system. Many of the inner-city schools do not have the resources and have greater demands on their teachers. As a result, many of the children fall through the cracks.

When I first heard about Sit, Stay, Read a couple of years ago, I was thrilled. What it involves is having a dog sit next to a child and just listen. Dogs are non-judgemental and their presence is a comfort to the children. Children become less self-conscious and are able to focus on reading the materials they have in front of them.

Since the program began, there has been a 20% increase in their words per minute. I used to tutor students and the better the speed, the better their comprehension. The dogs used for the program are given a stringent test to make sure that they are not aggressive and are a good match for the program. If you would like to learn more, here is their website:
Sit, Stay, Read

I hope you all have enjoyed the weekend. If you have had anything like this in your city, please share it here. Have a great night