A dog’s big, furry ears listen well to young readers

I was sitting on the steps of the Langley Library, waiting to meet Gabby.

Gabby walks on all fours, eats dog food, and teaches children how to read. Gabby arrived wearing a blue bandanna that says “Reading With Rover.” She is on a leash with her partner, Blake Kaiser.

Partner is the best word I can use to describe their relationship. The Reading With Rover program is designed to encourage children who are struggling with reading. This national program goes by different names in different places and is offered in schools and libraries.

Research has shown that the presence of a dog lowered the blood pressure of children reading aloud. Also, children who read to dogs had measurably significant increases in their reading skills in a few months. Teachers and schools across the country are reporting impressive results. Presently there are more schools that would like the program, but there are not enough certified dogs to expand to more sites.

Kaiser has spent the past year preparing Gabby for her job as a reading teacher.

Kaiser has a job too. She teaches in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington. She also maintains a therapy practice. In addition to all of this, she has been taking classes in her free time with Gabby on weekends and evenings. When Gabby was a year old, she and Kaiser went through therapy dog training. Upon graduation and certification, Gabby and Kaiser went on to become certified in the Reading to Rover program.

I came to the library armed with one of my favorite books from childhood, “The House on 88th Street” by Bernard Waber. I was thinking that this book is so old, Gabby may not have heard of it yet. The cover is unhinged, literally hanging by a thread; I have loved the cover off. I couldn’t wait to read this to Gabby. I wondered what she’d think of the green crocodile sitting in the bathtub. I worried if she’d notice that the binding was ripped loose.

But Livia Lomne-Licastro upstaged my big moment meeting Gabby. Along came this 5-year-old wearing, I swear, a purple cape with silver trim. She had stars on her shirt, and when she looked at Gabby, her face glowed like a full moon.

Who could compete with this?

Go ahead. Do you want my turn? Do you want to read to Gabby?

Livia, in her purple cape, was game for just about anything. She zipped into the library and returned with her favorite book, “The Water Hole.” She announced that this is the only book she knows how to read.

Her mother Emily Licastro told me Livia doesn’t read yet, but she thinks she does. She has the book memorized.

Livia hopped onto Gabby’s blanket. Gabby was on a leash and Kaiser was by her side. But Kaiser was really invisible to Livia. Livia began reading to Gabby. She held up the book and pointed out the best pictures. She laughed and rubbed against Gabby’s enormous ears.

“Your ears look like giant pancakes with fur!” Livia announced.

Indeed, a dog that listens so well to children reading just needs to show up with big furry ears.

When Livia came to the end of “The Water Hole,” Livia offered a dramatic finish, almost singing the ending. I was sorry this was ending. We were all a bit unsure how to say goodbye to Livia. But Kaiser is ready. She handed Livia a treat and said she could feed it to Gabby. She also said Gabby would give her a kiss with her nose to say goodbye.

Phew. It was a happy ending. As Livia got ready to leave, Kaiser handed her one more thing. She offered Livia a bookmark with a photo of Gabby.

I noticed that Gabby has an e-mail address on the bookmark. I looked at Kaiser with my eyebrows raised. She explained that Gabby is pen pals with some of her readers.

Sarri Gilman is a freelance writer living on Whidbey Island. She is a therapist, a wife and a mother, and has founded two nonprofit organizations to serve homeless children. You can e-mail her at features@heraldnet.com.