Massachusetts Pet Partners - Intermountain Therapy Animals

Intermountain Therapy Animals

Massachusetts Pet Partners, Inc. is proud to be offering the hugely successful Intermountain Therapy Animals R.E.A.D. program to local communities. Massachusetts Pet Partners, Inc. is a recognized Intermountain Therapy Animals R.E.A.D. Associate program.

The mission of the R.E.A.D. program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered Delta Society Pet Partner therapy teams as literacy mentors.

In the exciting new R.E.A.D. program, registered therapy dogs and their handlers are proving instrumental in improving the literacy skills of children in an effective, unique and, most importantly, fun manner. Literacy specialists acknowledge that children who are below their peers in reading skills are often intimidated by reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-esteem, and view reading as a chore. But those obstacles melt away when children read to the therapy animals!

Research with therapy animals indicates that children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than another person. Further, during such interaction they are inclined to forget about their limitations. There are also physiological benefits to interacting with animals, including increased relaxation and lower blood pressure. The premise of the R.E.A.D. program is that children will find reading to an animal less intimidating, a special time for them that is helpful and fun and will become a positive environment in which learning is facilitated.

The focus of the reading is age-appropriate books with animal themes. The Intermountain Therapy Animals Pet Partner teams provide a selection of books for the children to read. As they advance to the next level of reading, a child is given a book to keep which is "pawtographed" by his 4-footed reading companion. R.E.A.D. programs are being implemented in elementary schools, preschools, after-school latchkey programs, healthcare facilities, local libraries and even at home.

Benefits

We have seen many benefits, some unexpected, for participants in the R.E.A.D.® program, including:

Children improve their reading skills in a unique and fun environment
The program can be implemented in many settings
The program demonstrates another positive way that animals can make a positive difference in children's lives
R.E.A.D. has proven successful with older children as well, such as in boys and girls clubs and youth detention facilities.

R.E.A.D. Program Contacts

For local information about R.E.A.D., please contact Massachusetts Pet Partners, Inc. - An Affiliate of Delta Society Pet Partners

Christiana Melton, President, at

For information about the R.E.A.D. program, please contact Intermountain Therapy Animals, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Karty Kloutz, Executive Director, at 801-277-8271 or 801-272-3439