By Jessica Gonzalez
[ ~ So Excited! ~ “Hello, Prescott Dog Paw-rusers!
I am beside myself (look… There I am, and there I am next to me) since Mom told me about an article that could open a whole new world to our pack family. This could be just as nifty as a shared conversation or the occasional song sung to us four-leggeds. Maybe even niftier, or super-duper nifty.
I don’t want to give away too much, so read the article below by Jessica Gonzalez, and I promise I’ll be back later with the results of our new endeavor. Well, after I convince Dad to be excited too.” ~ Promise Prudence Pepper ~ ]
Read. Wag. Repeat.
Meet Ellie, the Therapy Dog helping children fall in love with reading. Ellie weighs just seven pounds. But every week, the little toy fox terrier with an important job to do trots confidently into a school.
Long before she arrives at school, Ellie already knows where she’s going. She eagerly waits for the car ride and, once they arrive, her owner, Barb Kelley, slips on Ellie’s canine partner’s therapy vest. That’s Ellie’s cue. She immediately starts pulling toward the school entrance to see her kids.
“She knows,” Kelley says with a laugh. “She can’t wait to get in there.”
Inside, excited children wave at Ellie in the hallway, hoping for a chance to say hello. But while Ellie enjoys the attention, the most important part of her day happens quietly, one child at a time.
Ellie and Kelley volunteer for the Animals, Books & Children (ABC) program through the Arizona nonprofit Paws for Youth. The organization helps children who have experienced trauma build confidence, resilience, and trust through the human-animal bond.
A Listener Who Never Interrupts
Kelley has loved dogs for most of her life. Before retiring, she spent years working in an animal hospital, bred toy fox terriers for two decades, and dreamed of becoming a therapy-dog volunteer. As soon as Ellie was old enough to earn her certification as a therapy animal, the pair joined Paws for Youth.
For Kelley, combining children and dogs felt like the perfect fit.
“My dogs were my secret keepers,” she says, reflecting on her own childhood. “They brought me a lot of comfort.”
Now she watches Ellie provide the same comfort to children who need it. One visit stands out.
A young student sat quietly apart from the group, showing little interest in participating. Ellie wandered over, gently climbed into the child’s lap, and settled in. As the student stroked her soft fur, a smile slowly appeared. Before long, the child was talking and joining the activity.
Moments like that remind Kelley why she volunteers.
“It’s fun to know my little dog is bringing such joy,” Kelley says.
Small Dog. Big Impact.
The reading sessions are designed to build far more than literacy skills.
In the ABC program, therapy dog teams meet one-on-one with first- through third-grade students each week for twelve to fourteen weeks. As children read aloud, an adult volunteer offers gentle encouragement while their therapy dog provides a calm, judgment-free audience.
Throughout the course of the semester, Kelley watches children who were once unsure of themselves begin to look forward to their time with Ellie, smiling more and speaking more confidently. Those transformations are reflected across the ABC program, where children consistently show gains in reading confidence, motivation, resilience, comfort and classroom engagement.
One social worker shared that a young student only wanted to come to school on Tuesdays because that was the day Ellie visited.
Another child never spoke in class but loved getting to read to Ellie each week. He gradually built enough confidence to introduce the tiny dog in front of all of his classmates. It was a significant breakthrough for the boy, whose teachers were amazed by his transformation.
For Kelley, those moments are unforgettable.
“They never remember my name,” she says, “but they always remember Ellie.”
The tiny canine isn’t just a patient listener. She also knows how to make children laugh. Her signature trick is ‘sit pretty’, though she also spins on command and squeezes into a box that seems much too small for her.
Those playful moments help break the ice, and before long even nervous children are laughing, talking and reaching for a book.
Why Dogs Make Such Wonderful Reading Partners
Dogs have a remarkable ability to help children feel safe. Unlike adults, they don’t correct mistakes or rush through difficult words. Their quiet presence reduces anxiety, which lets children focus on the story instead of their mistakes.
As trust grows over weeks and months, many children begin associating books with positive experiences instead of frustration, failure or fear.
Ellie is just one of nearly 150 registered therapy pets volunteering with their handlers through Paws for Youth. Together, these teams served more than 16,700 children statewide last year.
Five Ways Your Dog Can Become Your Child’s Reading Buddy
Not every dog will become a certified therapy dog like Ellie, but almost any family pet can help make reading feel more enjoyable at home.
- Let your child choose the book. Whether it’s a picture book, graphic novel or chapter book, children are more engaged when they pick the story.
- Create a cozy reading routine. Find a comfortable place where your child and your dog can settle in together without distractions.
- Read with expression. Encourage your child to show the pictures, use different voices, and talk to the dog about what’s happening in the story. If your dog wanders off, ask your child to read a little louder so their four-legged friend doesn’t miss the story.
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- Resist correcting every mistake. Building confidence is often more important than perfect pronunciation. Give children time to work through unfamiliar words on their own.
- Remember that any pet can listen. If your family doesn’t have a dog, cats, hamsters and even fish can provide the same judgment-free audience. Don’t have a pet at the moment? That’s okay, too. Try reading to a stuffed animal instead.
Get Involved
More than 1,000 children throughout Arizona are waiting to participate in a Paws for Youth program, with some schools waiting years because there aren’t enough volunteer therapy-animal teams.
Now celebrating its 25th year of operations, Paws for Youth continues to provide all of its programs free of charge to children, families, schools and partner organizations. Community volunteers and donor support are essential for Paws for Youth to fulfill its mission of nurturing youth and their well-being by connecting them with the healing power of pets and compassionate adults throughout Arizona.
Whether your dog has what it takes to become a certified therapy animal or you’re simply looking for a way to support the program, you can change a child’s story. Learn more at PawsForYouth.org.
