Rocco the therapy dog looks at Robbinsville resident Jillian Shenghit April 14, 2015 during a Read With Rocco event at the Robbinsville library. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)
Rocco looks at owner Alan McElhenny April 14, 2015 at the Robbinsville library. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)
JJ Marra reads while Rocco listens April 14, 2015 during a Read With Rocco event at the Robbinsville library. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)
When kids want to read out loud to someone, their options are usually limited to a teacher or family member. Outside of school or home, children don’t get many chances to practice reading aloud, whether it’s due to a shortage of confidence or lack of audience.
Robbinsville resident Allan McElhenny wants to help change that. In March, he and his 9-year-old Australian shepherd Rocco partnered with the Robbinsville library to present Read with Rocco. The program allows kids K-5 to come in and read to the pooch, for 15 minutes at a time.
McElhenny said while some might be apprehensive about speaking in front of an adult or even their peers, Rocco provides a no-judgment zone that kids are comfortable with.
“It gives them a great deal of confidence, talking out loud,” he said. “There’s no negative reinforcements or corrections. They can read quietly, loud, slow, fast—he doesn’t care.”
Inspiration struck him twice: once after reading about a Lawrence resident who hosted a similar program at his local library, and another time during a visit with his grandson, Matt. When it was time to go to sleep, Rocco followed McElhenny, McElhenny’s wife Lucy and Matt into the bedroom and hopped on the bed, head in Matt’s lap. The grandparents read a story, and as soon as it was over, Rocco got down.
McElhenny did some online research and learned that reading to dogs was fairly common at libraries across the country.
“If he can do that with Matt, maybe he’ll try with the kids,” McElhenny said. “There wasn’t any special training. I don’t read to him. I just let him be himself and relax among the kids, and they really enjoy it.”
Rocco didn’t undergo any specific reading-related training, but he was put through an extensive evaluation when he became a certified therapy dog last year. Prior to the reading program, McElhenny and Rocco made weekly visits to patients at Robert Wood Johnson after becoming official through Therapy Dogs, Inc. based out of Wyoming.
Local evaluator Les Cubberley met with McElhenny and Rocco at Arcadia Nursing Home for three sessions, where he first ensured that the dog understood basic obedience commands: heel, sit, stay, come. He also introduced Rocco to his own dog, a lab named Honey, to check on his temperament. Some dogs react negatively to distractions like loud noises, carts moving up and down the hallways, wheelchairs and people using crutches, but Rocco doesn’t, which was another plus. Cubberley also performed tests like intentionally spilling pills on the ground to make sure Rocco wouldn’t lap them up. Other qualifications like making sure Rocco was up-to-date on all of his shots and even a letter of recommendation from his vet were important, too.
Once everything was in place, they headed to the hospital, where this time, it was McElhenny who was evaluated. A physical, credit check and a test following a read-through of the hospital’s policies and procedures were all part of the application process.
Both owner and dog passed, though, and they got to interact with patients and folks in the surgery waiting room.
“It gives them a break from what’s going on in the hospital,” McElhenny said. “A lot of them are just waiting to get better, waiting for the doctors to come in. It usually brightens up their face. It just really gives them a chance to focus on something else. It breaks the monotony of just waiting for something to happen.”
McElhenny then started contacting local libraries about launching a reading program. Robbinsville’s was booked until this spring, so he took it to the Hopewell Library, where it was very successful. When space opened up close to home, though, he took it right away, and they held the first session in March.
The program was an immediate hit, and the library will host five more sessions this month. There are repeat readers every week, McElhenny said. Some run straight into the room and make a beeline for Rocco, who calmly accepts big hugs and gentle scratching under his chin. The kids can either sit in a chair or on a blanket next to Rocco. One child holds his books up so Rocco can see the pictures, while another likes to make up his own stories to tell the dog.
Some, like Jillian Shenghit, specifically pick out books about dogs, though she thinks he might “want to learn about something else” next time.
“I like reading to him and seeing how he listens so well,” Jillian added.
Her mother, Karen, said the program is a great confidence builder.
“They get to read in school, but it’s not often that they actually get to sit and read a book out loud,” she said. “I think reading a book to yourself versus reading a book out loud are two totally different skills. She’s pretty confident, but I think it makes her even more confident.”
McElhenny agreed, adding that the program can help foster a new love for reading, too.
“One mom said she’d never seen her son read at home so much, because he was practicing to read to Rocco,” he said. “I think the kids need that today, to step away from the TV, to step away from the video games and just read something that’s fun.”
Rocco’s serene temperament certainly plays into kids’ eagerness to spend time with him. Jillian likes him because “he doesn’t run away like most dogs do” when she gets close.
“She is excited,” her mother said. “I think for her, everybody always reads to her, so she feels like the bigwig now, reading to a dog. Teachers read to her, parents read to her. Now she gets to read them to somebody else. It’s good practice for them to read out loud. They don’t often get the opportunity to do that.”
Shenghit found out about the program through a friend from Jillian’s dance class who sang the praises of both McElhenny and Rocco. They tried it out themselves, and Jillian fell in love. She has been back once since her first time, and she plans to continue going.
McElhenny hopes to expand the program to some of the local schools, which may foster a distracting environment for a dog, but Rocco is so well-behaved, he doesn’t worry.
“A lot of them are a little leery of his size because they’re pre-K, but they just have a really good time with him,” he said. “I’ve had such wonderful experiences. To me, it’s so rewarding. He looks forward to it. He goes running into the library. We’ll stay there for an hour, and the kids have about 15 minutes. If they finish one, they can go get another book and bring it back in. It’s a lot of fun.”
This month, kids can read with Rocco on May 2, 5, 16, 19 and 30. To make an appointment, call the library at (609) 259-2150.
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