A Paws-On Approach

A Paws-On Approach to Teaching Children to Read
By Josh Hagy

With school starting again as summer winds down, children are stocking up on school supplies and polishing an apple for their teacher. Some very special students in Jefferson County Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, had better trade that apple for a dog bone, because their reading teacher is none other than Shyanne, a five-year-old black Lab.

Shyanne regularly makes the rounds at the schools with her owner, Rhonda Durham. Rhonda is a former librarian who now specializes in working on developing reading skills with visually impaired students. “It is difficult to engage students in wanting to read for pleasure or for daily necessity,” explains Rhonda. “It takes a unique concept or idea to draw them in. I decided to combine my love of books, my love of dogs and my love of kids into a positive, win-win for everyone.” Using a dog to teach reading skills is certainly a novel idea and one that seemed perfect from the moment Rhonda and Shyanne met.

Shyanne was only two years old when Rhonda adopted her from Kentucky Lab Rescue in Winchester, Kentucky. “Shyanne had a special twinkle in her from the moment we met. There was a compassion in her soul that shines through to everyone she meets,” Rhonda said. It wasn’t long before Rhonda realized that Shyanne was a special Lab who had a knack for helping people. After obtaining Shyanne’s Canine Good Citizen certificate, she and Rhonda then became members of the Delta Society Pet Partner Therapy Team. They later became members of Wonderful Animals Giving Support (WAGS), an affiliate of Delta, and have been active in the group for three years. “Shyanne and I have made visits to various hospitals, nursing homes and schools in the area. We enjoy making new friends and sharing ourselves with those we meet along our journey.” It was at school that Rhonda discovered Shyanne’s innate ability to connect with children and, surprisingly, help them along the path to literacy.

Rhonda was first working as a librarian at an alternative middle school where students attended for a certain length of time to “get their act in order.” Shyanne accompanied Rhonda to work every day for over a year and made a decidedly positive impact on the students there. “Shyanne was wonderful in this setting,” exclaims Rhonda. She loves kids, and seems to know what they need. She also provided an outlet for the students to open up and talk about issues in their life. The students would not always come into my room in the best of moods or attitudes, but Shyanne could help them change the way they saw things, and in turn help divert a lot of unnecessary confrontations.” The students quickly proclaimed Shyanne the “Queen of the Library,” but Rhonda saw other opportunities for Shyanne to lend a helping paw.

Many of the students faced challenges in academic areas that included developing their reading skills. With Shyanne in the library, it only seemed natural to Rhonda that she begin to help students to read. “Shyanne provided a non-threatening [atmostphere] as a listener so students could relax and read to her—increasing their self-esteem and their reading abilities. It was a win-win situation,” Rhonda explains. Since they were already affiliated with Delta Society Pet Partner Therapy Team, they began to seek out another group to enhance Shyanne’s reading and teaching skills.

Rhonda and Shyanne eventually linked up with an Intermountain Therapy Dogs program called Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.). In their work with R.E.A.D., Shyanne landed herself an important new job. “Shyanne suddenly had a new job, encouraging and helping students develop an interest in and love for reading,” says Rhonda. Of course, the work wasn’t easy, but Shyanne has proved to be more than up to the task. “Since I was working with students with special challenges in life, reading was very low on their list of interests. However, I had a unique friend that I thought could inspire them. It turned out to be a great combination, kids and dogs. The rest, as they say, is history.” While Rhonda no longer works as a librarian, she is still helping students with special needs to learn and appreciate reading and Shyanne is right there by her side.

Rhonda now visits students at three different schools to work with children who have visual impairments and other learning challenges. She has students who range in age from kindergarten to twelfth grade, and while the task may seem daunting, Rhonda strives to keep a positive message. “At all my schools I work with each student to strive to teach them how to be as successful as possible, gain confidence to try new things, and use whatever tools they need to be all they can be.” Of course, with a Lab like Shyanne, sometimes all she has to do is let her canine companion work her magic.





Rhonda allows Shyanne to take on the role of a “coach” with her students and provide motivation for helping the children develop both reading skills and a desire to read. “She is the facilitator through which I engage kids in wanting to learn to read,” says Rhonda. “I’m just there to keep everyone on track.” This is actually a very relaxed and creative teaching method that takes the stress off the students. “For instance, if a student is having trouble reading a word or knowing a definition, I’ll suggest the student ask Shyanne. Then I can say something like ‘I can tell Shyanne is having a hard time too, so let’s use the dictionary’ or whatever we need to learn the word,” Rhonda explains. Not only does Shyanne make learning easier, she also provides a little comedy relief.

Even a dedicated Lab like Shyanne occasionally needs to take a cat nap, though her timing isn’t always the greatest. “One of the biggest joys I get is when Shyanne closes her eyes while the student is reading a story to her. They will turn to me and say ‘Ms. Durham, Shyanne is asleep!’” Rhonda says. “I simply tell them she isn’t sleeping, but is really focusing on what they are reading to her, that she is imaging the story in her mind and can do that better with her eyes closed. I just pray she doesn’t snore.” Fortunately, Shyanne provides a bit more than humor.

While Shyanne has only made a few visits to school in Rhonda’s role as a vision teacher, Rhonda hopes to increase her visits this year. Shyanne seems to intuitively know what Rhonda’s students need and is only more than happy to give them the love and happiness they seek while she’s there. “I have experienced many very touching moments, ones I will never forget,” says Rhonda. “There were many picture perfect moments, both extremely touching and amazing. To truly experience the bond between humans and canines is a beautiful thing.” It’s amazing, as well, to see that bond be used for education, and Rhonda and Shyanne certainly are an amazing team.

Tail End:

Rhonda’s Dream Career

In addition to Shyanne, Rhonda also owns three other Labs, Sedona, Cali and Hannah. Sedona is a four-year-old yellow Lab, Cali is a six-year-old chocolate Lab and Hannah is a four-year-old black Lab. Of course, each of these wonderful dogs has their own personalities and mottoes. As Rhonda begins to work toward her dream of penning children’s books, she naturally looks toward her canine family for inspiration.

The idea first came to Rhonda as a way to merge two of her passions. “It began as a two-fold interest, my love of children’s books and my love of dogs,” she explains. After looking around local bookstores and searching the Internet, Rhonda realized that there were no books that filled a niche for those who needed a story that was easy to read without looking childish. She also noticed that her Labs would behave a lot like children. “My yellow Lab thinks she is a superhero. What kid doesn’t think they’re invincible?” wonders Rhonda. She plans to explore this idea and others through the eyes of her Labs and hopefully help some children learn to read along the way.

With her writing career just beginning, Rhonda understands that fame and fortune are not likely outcomes of her work, but all the same, she’s excited to get started. “When the idea to write children’s books first started, I thought I would begin when I retired from education and teaching, and then I thought, why wait?” With a series in the works with the tentative title of “Four Labs Kentucky Adventure Series,” Rhonda has plenty of inspiration to draw from. Though the idea is to have fun with the books, they also have a deeper meaning. “The underlying message will relate to becoming a better person or dog, having compassion toward others on this planet and making the best of what life hands you.”

With her writing career only just beginning, Rhonda has offered All Labs a sneak peek at the lives and personalities of the stars of her soon to be written series, written in her own words!

Sedona

I purchased her from a local family at 8 weeks of age. She is the “baby” of the family, and the other girls know it. They are always trying to “tell her” what to do! She thinks the world revolves around her, and playing ball 24/7 is her passion. She would make a great dock diving dog, as she can jump like Michael Jordan. Sedona is very inquisitive, hates vegetables (just like a kid), and is a beautiful yellow/red color. The first two years were extremely tense, as Sedona was the typical Lab chews everything in sight dog. Then one day, over night she “grew up” and settled down 95%. She still has her moments. I am glad after all we’ve been through, that I was the one who loved her enough to put up with her antics. I really believe that had someone else had her, she might have had a rough life. I think we were destined to be with each other. We have life lessons to share with each other. She is a very happy girl! Her motto is “Life is a ball…..go play!”

Shyanne

You’ve met this special girl, but here’s a little more about her. Shyanne is a very special companion. She treats everyone she meets as a friend and never a stranger, and is comfortable with everyone she meets. Her favorite activity is sitting on her little hilltop just taking life in, or chewing on a bone. Her motto is “Whatever life offers you, just deal with it.”

Cali

Cali was also adopted from Kentucky Lab Rescue. Being the oldest Cali thinks she is the “ruler” of the other girls, and is very possessive of her mom, the water bowl, and the bed. If Cali could talk, she would have a very sarcastic attitude. When Cali looks at you, it feels like she is saying Thank you for rescuing me! Her favorite activity is chewing on a bone, Cali can be awake one minute and asleep the next. Cali likes to “talk”, and will do so until you respond to her. This is cute at first, but annoying when you are trying to watch your favorite TV show, because she gets louder and louder. Cali is a beautiful chestnut brown color. Cali has the true otter tail and can leave a bruise when she hits you with it. One of her favorite activities is to get Mom up at 2:30 a.m. just to potty. This gets all the others up too! Cali loves all food, and has a perpetual clock in her tummy. She will get in my face exactly at 5 p.m. each night, lick my chin and “tell me” it is time for dinner. Who needs a watch? Cali’s motto is “I like my private time.”

Hannah

Hannah was our last baby to be adopted from Kentucky Lab Rescue. Hannah is a very sweet girl, and loves to be petted, brushed and hugged. Her big brown, sad eyes make her look like she is always depressed. However, it is just a ploy. Her favorite thing is to go for a ride, and she has an appetite for honey bees. Hannah is a protector of the yard, and never misses a bird, truck or other dog near “her fence!” Hannah will make a great therapy dog one day, because of her love of all people. When we go to the dog park, people always ask me if I have a dog…why, because Hannah will just trot off and sit by someone else….yes total strangers. Hannah loves to eat—anything and everything. Ice cream is her favorite. Hannah has a special talent….every time you clap, she will run and get a toy and act silly with it. When you ask her if she likes something, she will respond “a lot, a lot.” She is very easy going, but does like a good game of horseplay. Her motto is….Love everybody.

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