A tutor with a tail Therapy dog builds reading confidence in students

LAKE VILLA -- Lily the Dalmatian likes to have stories read to her. It's her job. Twice a month she sits with kids on a couch at the Allendale Association -- a Lake Villa school and residential facility for troubled kids -- and listens to students read.

Students who regularly hesitate to read in class because they are self-conscious about a learning disability have no problem reading to Lily.

"It's hard for some of them to read in front of their peers," said Sandy Landrey, a special education teacher at Allendale. "They don't want to read and miss a word. But in front of the dog, the pressure is off."

Lily is accompanied by volunteer Donna Renjilian of Gurnee who helps the students in the sixth and seventh grade if they stumble on a word during their 15 minute sessions with Lily.

"Dogs always give unconditional love. They don't judge you," Renjilian said.

Students could read from a phone book and Lily would still sit patiently with her paw on their lap.

"Sometimes they show her the pictures in the book," Renjilian said. "They say, 'Lily, look at this.' She pretends to look at it."

Lily, a purebred Dalmatian, trained under Renjilian's supervision to become a certified therapy dog at Dogs of Endearment in Pleasant Prairie in Wisconsin. The pair belongs to the Delta Society, a national organization that certifies therapy and service pets and their owners.

To earn her certification, Lily had to pass an obedience and temperament test. She previously volunteered at Alzheimer's facilities and women's shelters, but according to Renjilian, she likes working with kids best.

"She's become a mascot at school," she said. Her mug even appeared in the school's yearbook.

The pair has been coming to Allendale for the past two years and they see a half dozen students twice a month.

Studies have shown that interacting with animals helps people to relax. For students who are self-conscious about their skills, the presence of a silent, four-legged listener can be calming and improve their confidence. Students who refuse to read in class because of speech impediments willingly read aloud to Lily.

"A boy came two months ago. He would not read out loud in class. He has a bit of a stutter. But when he reads to Lily he reads fine. Teachers were flabbergasted. They didn't know he could read," Renjilian said.

Renjilian is one of only a small handful of trainers in Lake County certified in the Reading Education Assistance Dogs program. The READ program has been used in libraries, preschools and afterschool clubs around the country. Because of dog allergy concerns, it hasn't caught on in local public schools yet, she said.

The 15 minute reading sessions start with the students giving Lily a biscuit, and end with another biscuit. Some students bought her some bacon bits for Christmas, which she also gets.

"When she puts on her vest, she knows she has to go to work," Renjilian said. "The only way she gets treats is when she works."