Therapy dog livestream to encourage young readers
April 2, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic has canceled in-person events and face-to-face occasions, people are thinking about digital opportunities in the name of social distancing.
DoveLewis’ therapy dog Marvin is still keeping up with his mission to help young readers build their skills – and now he’s going digital.
Therapy dogs with DoveLewis logged nearly 7,000 hours last year. But, in early March, the program was suspended due to social distancing guidelines.
On Tuesday, Marvin went live on Facebook for a ‘read to the dogs’ virtual session.
“He’s really missed his therapy sessions, and helping students practice their reading skills is one of his favorite things to do,” said Kathy Loter, Marvin’s owner and manager of DoveLewis’ Portland Area Canine Therapy Teams.
More than 500 people joined in to watch Marvin as he ‘listened’ patiently.
“Reading to a dog can really build a child’s confidence,” said Loter. “And we were happy to help out some of the parents who are looking for ways to keep their kids engaged with their studies.”
Other DoveLewis therapy dogs will host reading sessions together this week, including Dolly, Farrah, Liberty, Lisa, Kiev, Kashi, and Misha.
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