Bark for Books: How Barney the therapy dog helps kids become readers
Did you know rattlesnake scales are made of the same thing as human fingernails? Did you know when birds take baths, they like extra bubbles? (That last applies only to cartoon birds.)
Every Wednesday afternoon at the American Canyon Library, kids discover these ideas and more as they circle up to read books to Barney, a trained therapy dog. He’s a white golden retriever with long fur and a toothy smile. He’s also a great listener.
On a Wednesday in August, Evie Sanford, 9, rummaged through the kids’ section to find a book to read while Barney sat patiently.
“I don’t read a lot,” Evie told the American Canyon Current. “But when I do, it’s about snakes.” Sure enough, she picked a book titled Rattlesnakes. She let Barney give it a once-over and got to reading, stopping every so often to show Barney a picture.
Barney’s person, Judith Myers, started bringing him to the library on Jan. 8 through Bark for Books, a program offered through the Napa County Library system. They’ve been back almost every Wednesday since. From 4:30-5:30 p.m., the two set up shop, Myers sitting on a bench in the children’s library, Barney on a mat at her feet.
While the Bark for Books program has been active at libraries all over Napa, Barney is the first dog participating in American Canyon.
“We’ve had as many as seven kids here at a time,” said Myers, looking over her sign-in logs for the past eight months. “There’s lots of studies that show that dogs help calm people down,” she As she talked, Evie’s baby sister, Lily, waddled over, holding her own book to show Barney.
Evie and Lily’s mom, Chelsea, said she appreciates programming like Bark for Books, which provides crucial downtime for parents like her, who are homeschooling her children.
Myers told the American Canyon Current that she had a feeling Barney would be great with kids because of his mellow disposition.
“For part of his training, they opened umbrellas in his face and rolled wheelchairs by him,” she said. But he didn’t flinch, and passed his therapy dog test with flying colors.
Reading to Barney is about having a sweet time with a pup and a book. It’s also about the importance of kids having a non-judgmental space, even for just a few minutes.
A 2017 Tufts University study showed that reading to dogs can ease nerves and boost reading skills for children, which in turn makes them feel more confident at school.
“I don’t help them with pronouncing words unless they ask me too,” said Myers. It’s an important part of the program. Barney gives kids a reason to sit and read out loud while knowing it’s OK to make mistakes, even out loud.
In June, Myers also took Barney to finals week at Napa High School. “When kids were cutting through a quad area between exams they could decompress with Barney. You could see it. They would say ‘I have one more exam, can I hug your dog?’”
A couple months ago, remembered Myers, there was a recent UC Davis graduate at the library studying for the Law School Admissions Test. “She took a practice exam on the computer. She finished it, came over, and said, ‘Can I just chill for a minute?’ And she laid down next to Barney.”
“They seem to be loving it so far,” librarian Derek Guidry said of Barney’s Wednesdays. “There are always people looking for stuff to do with their kids, and since it’s free programming, that helps.
“Everything is so expensive now,” Guidry continued. “But you come to the library and kids can hear a story or make a craft. When you’re a parent you get to turn your brain off a bit here.”
Gurnoor Athwal, 8, shyly approached Barney with a book about a few birds having bathtime. Gurnoor is a third grader at Canyon Oak Elementary and, like Evie, she’s also a big sister. She read the book quietly to Barney, showing him every page.
Gurnoor’s little sister crawled across the carpet toward the readers with a smile. She tugged at Barney’s ears and shrieked happily. He was unperturbed.
