'Reading dog' helps boost children's literacy in Carmarthenshire

Children become more talkative and speak up in the presence of an animal, researchers said

Every Friday, children at a Carmarthenshire school get a little help from a furry friend as they learn how to read.

Jade, the cavalier King Charles spaniel, sits with pupils during lessons at Burry Port Community School.

She is just one of 65 specially-trained "reading dogs" being used in Welsh schools.

One pupil said: "When I get a word wrong she nudges me to tell me to keep trying."

Deputy head teacher Odette Nicholas, who has trained her dog Jade to touch the book with her nose when she hears the word "book", said it felt like her pet was "communicating back to them".

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Charity Burns by Your Side, which runs the scheme, said reading with a companion dog could motivate a child to read independently, build self-confidence and improve reading fluency.

Jade sits with children while they read

At Swansea University, lecturers said they had seen the benefits of bringing reading and therapy dogs into classrooms.

Dr Helen Lewis, senior lecturer in the school of education, said: "We've seen they really engage and motivate children."

She added that the dogs were not a "magic wand" to improving children's reading and vocabulary.

"Just like every child is an individual, every dog is an individual and we have to look at how they react to being in a school environment," she added.

Ms Nicholas said having her dog in classes had a "huge impact" as having an animal which did not react when they made mistakes calmed the pupils and made them look forward to reading.

She said reading scores had increased after the children had sessions reading with Jade.

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