The Reading Door Opens...
The reading door opens when a dog walks into the room, a therapy reading dog.
This connection of the human-canine bond and a child becoming a reader is quite amazing...what is going on here?
Reading is in itself amazing, offering children a world of information, imagination, and stimulation. For many children, even where education provides the tools, reading may not be a part of life that they have embraced. Aside from the rewards of good stories, these children are limiting their future, both in the school room and beyond...in fact, their very futures are in jeopardy.(the photo is from teacher Julie Hauck's Pages for Preston program, Longfellow Elementary School, Sheboygan,WI.)
Dogs can change all that. Dogs can open the reading door for children. Even in complex situations...
Ira Kittrell is a speech -language pathologist pathologist/special educator in a middle school and a high school. Otto, a shih-tzu, is his reading partner dog (photo on the left). In our correspondence, Ira told me about Otto working with middle schoolers who have problems...
"A group that had difficulty with sequencing and pragmatic language/social skills, worked on their goals by working with Otto...they designed an obstacle course for Otto and had to teach him to engage in the various elements. Another group had difficulty with non verbal language and taught him tricks which forced them to watch their non verbal expression (vocal rate-volume-inflection, facial expressions, body language) as well as to monitor Otto's in order to be successful There were other groups as well..."
Library visits: "Otto also goes to a children's library...where children read him stories. He hangs out and is happy to hear every book and even look at some of the pictures. It is great to see the confidence build as the children read."
The reading door opens when a dog walks into the room...
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Here is another wonderful example of healing and the human-canine bond.
"The Pets for Vets program is dedicated to providing a second chance for shelter pets by rescuing, training and pairing them with America’s veterans who could benefit from having a companion animal...
Many of our Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans suffer from physical and emotional injuries making it difficult to transition back to civilian life. Pets for Vets can help! Our goal is to heal their wounds by bringing together man’s best friend and our returning soldiers while showing them both that we have not forgotten...Medical studies have shown that companion animals significantly improve mental and physical health, including reducing stress, depression and anxiety, symptoms experienced by many serving in the military. "
Visit Pets for Vets website for more information, real life stories, a video, and information on founder Clarissa Black: http://www.pets-for-vets.com
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What if all the children in the world could read and write?
We just discovered LitWorld...
LitWorld's mission is to cultivate literacy leaders worldwide through transformational literacy experiences that build connection, understanding, resilience and strength. We work with teachers, parents, community members, and children to support the development of literacy and the redemptive power of story in the world's most vulnerable communities.
Lit World is sponsoring an all day Read Aloud Marathon in Times Square, New York City,on March 9!!
www.litworld.org
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She Speaks Bark, the website of Kaitlin Jenkins....
Kaitlin began She Speaks Bark in September, 2009, with these words:
"I am the proud "mother" of two wonderful dogs, and I cannot imagine my life without either of them. They bring laughter and joy to our house everyday and never cease to amaze me with their silly antics."
The dogs, Scooter and Bear, are pictured above. The warm, caring feeling Kaitlin has for her dogs, pervades her writng and the relevant topics she posts. She has been offering dog lovers information on topics ranging from Separation Anxiety and Dangerous Foods to tested product reviews.
Kaitlin just initiated the She Speaks Bark Book Review and we were honored to have Planet Of The Dogs as her first review. Here is an excerpt:
" Planet of the Dogs series is geared towards children, but has a wonderful quality that allows parents and adults to enjoy the read as well. In the first book of the series dogs are introduced to Earth where they try to teach humans about loyalty and love. The dogs having done their research, first make a connection with human children, and slowly work their way into becoming the invaluable members of society they are today. The illustrations in the book are beautifully done, and a masterpiece in and of themselves."
http://shespeaksbark.blogspot.com/2011/02/planet-of-dogs-review-giveaway.html
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Videos for Dog lovers...Canine Freestyle
Cayr Ariel Wulff, dog loving rescue lady (photo on her dogs the left), author of Born Without A Tail, and creator of Yelodoggie is currently blogging (Up On the Woof) about Type 2 Vegetarians.
In the past, she introduced us to Canine Freestyle -- dancing dogs. I know this may sound too cute, but these dog and their owners are amazing. It's another example of the human canine bond.
By way of explanation, Cayr wrote:
"Canine Freestyle has been gaining momentum. It is a relatively new sport that combines dog obedience and dance in a unique and exciting way, blending the two in a stunning display of handler and canine teamwork. The handler and dog perform rhythmic footwork in time to music. The most exciting part of the display, however, is the enthusiasm of the dog that is participating. I have seen dogs play flyball, compete in herding and in agility. While each of these activities is loads of fun for dogs and handlers, nothing compares to the joy on a dog’s face when he/she is doing freestyle..." Here is the link to the amazing dancing dogs:
http://thewoof.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/canine-freestyle-a-new-height-in-the-humancanine-bond/
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Do you bring dogs into the room?
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1002 Nouns
In a New York Times article entitled Sit. Stay. Parse.Good Girl, by Nicholas Wade, I read about Chaser, a border collie with a huge vocabulary.
"Chaser, a border collie who lives in Spartanburg, S.C., has the largest vocabulary of any known dog. She knows 1,022 nouns, a record that displays unexpected depths of the canine mind and may help explain how children acquire language.
Chaser belongs to John W. Pilley, a psychologist who taught for 30 years at Wofford College, a liberal arts institution in Spartanburg. In 2004, after he had retired, he read a report in Science about Rico, a border collie whose German owners had taught him to recognize 200 items, mostly toys and balls. Dr. Pilley decided to repeat the experiment using a technique he had developed for teaching dogs, and he describes his findings in the current issue of the journal Behavioural Processes.
He bought Chaser as a puppy in 2004 from a local breeder and started to train her for four to five hours a day. He would show her an object, say its name up to 40 times, then hide it and ask her to find it, while repeating the name all the time. She was taught one or two new names a day, with monthly revisions and reinforcement for any names she had forgotten..."
This fascinating article continues with insights into how we learn, how dogs learn, behavioral science, border collies and more. There is also a video. The border collie on the left is not Chaser, he is Robbie from Planet Of The Dogs.
Here is the link: to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/science/18dog.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
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Planet Dog Foundation
We have similar names and we both recognize the extraordinary nature of dogs.
However, we are quite different. Planet Dog is an outstanding source of healthy, innovative dog supplies. They are both brick and mortar and a major Internet source for dog lovers.
We, on the other hand, write, illustrate and publish dog books.
We salute Planet Dog for their financial support and guidance for multiple dog causes.They do this 
through the PDF -- the Planet Dog Foundation. In their own words: "From the earliest days of Planet Dog, the founders were committed to creating a national grant program to make maximum impact with limited resources. As a company that celebrates all things dog and that is supported by customers who cherish their pets, Planet Dog is proud to donate 2% of every sale of any Planet Dog Product to PDF to finance the grant budget. In turn, PDF funds programs that train, place and support working dogs helping people in need."
PDF -- the Planet Dog Foundation -- is an outstanding non-profit organization. Visit their website and learn more: www.planetdogfoundation.org
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All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite
bookstore or on the internet through Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Powells and others...
For cups, hats, shirts, dog shirts and other gift
items...Visit our store at Cafe Press.
Read Sample Chapters of all our books on our website:www.Planetofthedogs.net
Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course
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Eye to Eye Contact...Way Cool Dogs
I am continually surprised by the daily diversity of dog world articles coming from a farm and dog rescue in central Nebraska....articles on Way Cool Dogs range from health care and rescue stories, to dog travel, training and beyond; written by Nancy Houser (and an array of dog loving guest posts), they include politics and values as they relate to dog issues and quality of life.
I first became intriqued with this site in May, 2009 when I read a fascinating post on using visual contact for dog communication. Here is the first paragraph:
"It has been said that the eyes are the window of the soul with visual contact of dog communication a prime example. Eye contact is considered on of the best types of basic nonverbal communications between all living things with the finest examples occurring between animals. It is one ofthe most important processes between mankind and their pets through the training process or through simple daily communication..."
The dog on the left is one of many that have found a haven and a home on the farm of Nancy and her partner, Sandra Marquiss (both have medical training as CNAs and Medical aides for the state of Nebraska).
Stella and I are proud of the fact that Nancy gave us positive reviews and wrote about the core ideas behind the Planet Of The Dogs.
Here is the link to the site:www.waycooldogs.com
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Reality on the Dog Rescue Railroad
Here is a slice of life from Deb Eades, author of Every Rescued Dog has a Tale...(www.everyrescueddoghasatale.com)
"My friend and fellow rescuer, BJ, called me on Saturday afternoon to see if I could
ride with her down to Carrollton, Kentucky to pick up two mini-poodles. They had been saved by Tammie Crawford of the Carroll County Animal Support group so they would not be turned over to the dog pound there. A woman had taken them from her own daughter because she was not taking care of them properly. They were matted and covered in fleas, their teeth look really bad. Both of the dogs have lost the hair around their eyes due to the flea problem. Also they need to be spayed/neutered.
It was about an hour each way and they were very active on the way home. They seem to know they are going to better things now. BJ will foster them for the time being for GRR- Midwest rescue, but I would not be surprised if she decides to adopt them. They are about 2 or 3 years old but we have no vet records right now to confirm that.
It was a great way to spend my holiday, helping save little lives."
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If you see a dog in distress, abused or abandoned, and need advice/guidance on what to do, contact www.sunbearsquad.org
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"Labradors (make) lousy watchdogs. They usually bark when their is a stranger about, but it is an unmitigated expression of joy at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning." -Norman Strung
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