We all know how pets improve the quality of our lives (yes, even though they track mud through the house and shed all over our black clothes…) but did you know they can help kids learn too? In 2014, a non-profit called Pets As Therapy started a program in the UK called Bark & Read  is gaining popularity all around British school systems. The concept is simple, yet has proven very effective – instead of reading aloud to a teacher or classmates, a child reads to a dog. The dog, unlike a human listener, is a completely uncritical audience. This relaxes the child and helps build confidence. As one teacher commented: “Children never get a chance to read without someone telling them they mispronounced a word or skipped part of the story. We don’t give children that chance to just enjoy reading.” That’s where these friendly pups come in – and it seems to work.

Within six weeks 60 per cent of the children taking part improved their reading age by more than three months. Educators have noticed that children participating in the program often talk to the dogs and confide in them, telling the pooches about themselves and their anxieties. In these cases the children not only improve their reading but their emotional intelligence. This is especially positive for children with challenging home backgrounds.

Hopefully we will see the concept of Bark & Read makes its way to North American schools in the near future – Pets As Therapy estimates that more than 6,000 children a week benefit from reading dogs.

No wonder its chief executive describes the results as “outstanding”. As if we needed a reason to bring dogs everywhere!