The mission of the R.E.A.D.® program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as literacy mentors.
The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program improves children’s reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method: reading to a dog. But not just any dog. R.E.A.D. dogs are registered therapy animals who volunteer with their owner/handlers as a team, going to schools, libraries and many other settings as reading companions for children.
Today, hundreds of registered R.E.A.D. teams work throughout the United States and Canada. R.E.A.D. is one of those ideas that, in the words of Bill Moyers, “pierces the mundane to arrive at the marvelous.”
Intermountain Therapy Animals, a nonprofit organization, launched R.E.A.D. in 1999 as the first comprehensive literacy program built around the appealing idea of reading to dogs, and the program has been spreading rapidly and happily ever since!
Other R.E.A.D.® News and Information
The R.E.A.D. Brochure
Download the R.E.A.D. brochure here (Adobe Acrobat, 117 KB)
ITA Wins Major Award
Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) of Salt Lake City has won the Gwyn Thebault Award for Excellence in Humane Education, which is the grand prize in The Latham Foundation’s biannual "Search for Excellence" Video Awards Competition.
The winning video, entitled "Becoming a R.E.A.D.® Team," trains volunteer human-animal visiting teams to participate in ITA’s Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.®) program, in which children read to therapy animals. R.E.A.D. has met with enthusiastic acceptance in schools, libraries and other therapy animal visiting groups throughout the United States and internationally. The 25-minute video was produced for ITA by Main Frame Films of Park City and hosted by Fields Moseley of KUTV-2 News.
Founded in 1918, the Latham Foundation, of Alameda, California, is a leader in the production and distribution of books and videos about humane education, the links between animal abuse and other forms of family violence, and the human/companion animal bond. The foundation launched its contest in 1996 to recognize and encourage quality productions from other organizations that promote respect for all life.
Kathy Klotz, executive director of ITA, says the win is a significant honor for ITA. "Therapy animals consistently demonstrate that when we respect and care for other species, they have great gifts of connection, joy and healing to share with us, and we with them. We are pleased to be recognized by the distinguished people of Latham, who appreciate how the work of therapy animals serves the ‘big picture’ of humane education."
Other winners this year include the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States/Northern Rockies office.
Created: July 7, 2004 by Intermountain Therapy Animals
Other R.E.A.D.® press and articles
- Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) Frequently Asked Questions
- Libraries and Schools that ITA R.E.A.D. Teams Visit
- "Tails for Tea"
- R.E.A.D. Training Package a Success!
- R.E.A.D. Program - 'Tails From The Field'
- READING IS FUN-DOG-MENTAL
- R.E.A.D. Presentations
- R.E.A.D. Featured on Westminster Dog Show Broadcast
- R.E.A.D. Associate Programs and Regional Workshops
- Purchase a Lucinda pin and support the R.E.A.D. program!
Press and Articles
A page of references to recent press and articles about Reading Education Assistance Dogs.
Links
Links to other Reading Education Assistance Dogs and literacy resources on the Internet.
R.E.A.D. Photos
Photos of Reading Education Assistance Dogs at work.
R.E.A.D.® Program Contacts:
For more information about R.E.A.D., please contact Intermountain Therapy Animals at 801-272-3439.