Fetch Remedy Dogs Teach Kids to Read

ZANESVILLE, OH – Some furry companions are helping to teach children to read.

For the last few years, the Zanesville Civic League Community Center has been bringing in therapy dogs from an organization called Fetch Remedy Dogs to help get students more comfortable with their reading skills.

Jensen McVey, the Founder and Executive Director of Fetch Remedy Dogs, says their therapy dogs are trained to be around large groups of people so that they’re able to help more people.

“Starting from kids in kindergarten and preschool age all the way up to end of life.” McVey said. “We have one volunteer here who works very closely with hospice, so it’s great to see the impact that these dogs can make on people throughout multiple life stages.”

McVey says in total they have trained 7 dogs that are in place throughout the Zanesville City School District.

She says not only do the dogs love the attention they get while the children are reading to them, but the children become more comfortable talking and sharing their feelings as well.

“We’ve had some kids that are just terrified of dogs and then by the end of it they are just thrilled and excited.” McVey said. “And they have their favorite dog hat they want to see, they love seeing the tricks and we’ve also seen a big impact with their reading. We have one kid in particular, when we started out, he was having trouble just with sight words, and now he’s reading full books.”

If you’d like more information about Fetch Remedy Dogs you can head to their website.