Did you know that your dog could be helping the people in your home? Especially the kids!
Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that children tend to read more, and actually get more engrossed in what they're reading, when there's a dog in the room!
Now you all know how much I love my pups... and I could go ON and ON about the benefits of pet ownership... but this is RESEARCH! It's proven! :)
The researchers had 8 and 9 year olds sit and read books out loud. The first time, without a dog around. The second time, a therapy dog was in the room.
Results shows the kids got through more pages, felt more interested in what they read, and were more likely to actually keep reading, when the dog was around!
The researchers intentionally chose books slightly above each child's reading level, just to test how quickly they would get frustrated and want to quit. BUT! Having a dog in the room, the kids tried harder and stuck with it.
While it's not exactly clear WHY it works, previous studies have had similar results. It may just be that having a dog around helps keep kids calm.
No matter the reasoning... it's just one more amazing reason that having a dog around could benefit your family, especially they kids if they struggle with reading!
This also reminds me of this post I've seen on Facebook where children were reading to shelter dogs! I think that's a WIN-WIN situation! The dogs feel less lonely, and the kids work on their reading! What do you think?