Natalie – “I am at Summerland Christian College. Bungle and I got into Story Dogs as a chance to give back. The school has been so good to my kids. We started this year and we enjoy it. Bungle is a 2 year old Groodle but she thinks she’s a Gruman. She is very much a part of our life. She’s been going to the school since she was a puppy so most of the kids have known her since she was a little fluff ball.”
Mel (not pictured) — “Angel [white pooch) and I will be working at Goolmangar which is a little country school. We are new to Lismore and we come from the bush. Angel comes from a working dog family in a very dry place called Gunning so she is glad to have a job. We roamed the bush and she had a gigantic big yard. She’s a good talker too. She’s learned dingo language I’m sure. She needs a job with all that energy. We are looking forward to it.”
Bev – “My dog is Lucy and she’s a rescue dog. I don’t know exactly how old she is but I think about 8. She’s actually quite timid but for some reason with kids she comes to life. She loves being around children. She works the class room. I could never have taught her to do this. She’s a Foxy Cross and I think she has Chihuahua in her. Lucy obviously thinks that Story Dog jackets are not acceptable. They don’t suit her colour scheme. That’s all I can assume because she won’t wear her coat. She’d rather shiver. Lucy and I are at Wyrallah Rd Public School. I do it because I love reading and I love dogs. The combination of books, dogs and kids is fantastic.”
Anne – “ I’ve just taken on the co-ordination of Story Dogs Lismore. My dog is Maggie. Maggie and I go to Lismore South Primary School and this is our second year. We love it! As soon as Maggie realises it’s Wednesday morning, we brush her coat and put her jacket on, she really is perky and knows that we are off to school. When we arrive at the school it’s like a rock star has arrived. She gets swamped. Most dogs would be worried about that but not Maggie. She loves the attention.
Story Dogs is a fun reading support program for children using a gentle dog for the children to read to. The aim is for the child to relax. Their reading skills improve, their self confidence improves and they start reading. They start enjoying it and once you enjoy things you usually excel at them. Reading is something you can do lifelong. It’s really critical in terms of children’s literacy and in terms of their outcomes so that’s why I feel positively about this program. It’s not some gimmicky thing. What we do before each child starts with Story Dogs, the teachers do a reading assessment level and then after we’ve been with them for the year the test is applied again to test the reading level. Indeed there are results and sometimes quite dramatic improvements. The children think that the dog understands a lot more than they do. You engage the dog so the child will ask the dog what they would like them to read. They believe the dog is listening.
You can also can sponsor a dog. We have Flock, The Book Warehouse and Nimbin Rural Retreat Motel on board. We also have Keen St Vets on board. In Natalie and Bungle’s case they were sponsored by two families. The sponsors names go on their dog coats. If you have a dog that is a quiet, gentle dog and you have a spare 2 hours once a week then please contact me via email to anne@storydogs.org.au.”
Mel (not pictured) — “Angel [white pooch) and I will be working at Goolmangar which is a little country school. We are new to Lismore and we come from the bush. Angel comes from a working dog family in a very dry place called Gunning so she is glad to have a job. We roamed the bush and she had a gigantic big yard. She’s a good talker too. She’s learned dingo language I’m sure. She needs a job with all that energy. We are looking forward to it.”
Bev – “My dog is Lucy and she’s a rescue dog. I don’t know exactly how old she is but I think about 8. She’s actually quite timid but for some reason with kids she comes to life. She loves being around children. She works the class room. I could never have taught her to do this. She’s a Foxy Cross and I think she has Chihuahua in her. Lucy obviously thinks that Story Dog jackets are not acceptable. They don’t suit her colour scheme. That’s all I can assume because she won’t wear her coat. She’d rather shiver. Lucy and I are at Wyrallah Rd Public School. I do it because I love reading and I love dogs. The combination of books, dogs and kids is fantastic.”
Anne – “ I’ve just taken on the co-ordination of Story Dogs Lismore. My dog is Maggie. Maggie and I go to Lismore South Primary School and this is our second year. We love it! As soon as Maggie realises it’s Wednesday morning, we brush her coat and put her jacket on, she really is perky and knows that we are off to school. When we arrive at the school it’s like a rock star has arrived. She gets swamped. Most dogs would be worried about that but not Maggie. She loves the attention.
Story Dogs is a fun reading support program for children using a gentle dog for the children to read to. The aim is for the child to relax. Their reading skills improve, their self confidence improves and they start reading. They start enjoying it and once you enjoy things you usually excel at them. Reading is something you can do lifelong. It’s really critical in terms of children’s literacy and in terms of their outcomes so that’s why I feel positively about this program. It’s not some gimmicky thing. What we do before each child starts with Story Dogs, the teachers do a reading assessment level and then after we’ve been with them for the year the test is applied again to test the reading level. Indeed there are results and sometimes quite dramatic improvements. The children think that the dog understands a lot more than they do. You engage the dog so the child will ask the dog what they would like them to read. They believe the dog is listening.
You can also can sponsor a dog. We have Flock, The Book Warehouse and Nimbin Rural Retreat Motel on board. We also have Keen St Vets on board. In Natalie and Bungle’s case they were sponsored by two families. The sponsors names go on their dog coats. If you have a dog that is a quiet, gentle dog and you have a spare 2 hours once a week then please contact me via email to anne@storydogs.org.au.”