In 1999 Sandi Martin, a member of Intermountain Therapy Animals in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Kathy Klotz, the organization’s director, conceived the idea of Reading Education Assistance Dogs, or R.E.A.D. Their idea was that children’s reading and communication skills could be improved by reading to a dog.

In March 2000 Intermountain Therapy Animals did a pilot study at Bennion Elementary School in Salt Lake City. The study found that students who read to a dog showed marked improvement in their reading scores.

But these were not just any dogs. ITA used registered therapy animals. These dogs, who volunteer with their owner/handlers as a team, go to hospitals and other care facilities. And now they were going to schools and libraries as reading companions for children. After the program’s initial success in Utah, the program went nationwide. Today, hundreds of registered R.E.A.D. teams work throughout the United States and Canada.

R.E.A.D. was approved by Topeka Public Schools after a presentation in January 2006. We started at Williams Magnet School with two teams and Highland Park Central Elementary School with four teams. In 2007-2008, we were in eight schools serving over thirty students.

On April 2, 2007, Prairieland Visiting Animals Association was recognized for our efforts by the Topeka Area Reading Association by being presented with the “Celebrate Literacy Award”.

The Association began working in the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library in January 2007. We have three two-month sessions a year, with five to 11 teams working during each session. Check with the Library at (785) 508-4400, or at www.tscpl.org, for dates and times.

To become a R.E.A.D. volunteer the team must be registered with Delta Society and have attended a R.E.A.D. workshop or taken the home study course. The approximate cost for becoming registered with Delta Society $135 for the handler. This does not include the cost of dog training. Registration as a R.E.A.D. team is an additional $105.

For more information, contact the Prairieland Visiting Animals Association R.E.A.D. coordinator at READ@topekavisitingpets.info.