SPOTLIGHT this week: Therapy dogs have become welcome visitors in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons. Now educators have opened schools to the dogs as well, saying dogs can enhance the learning process. I interviewed Bath Wadleigh, a volunteer with Therapy Dogs of Vermont. Her pet Pepper makes a great listener for good books. The Dalmatian has a spotty past, but his life has recently improved thanks to all the affection he gets from his new owner and the students at Holland Elementary School in Holland, Vermont. I was curious how reading to a dog could actually benefit students. I asked teachers about the educational rationale for therapy dogs in school, and got opinions from 3rd and 4th grade students as well. See the story this week on "Spotlight," a segment of Mountain Lake Journal Extra. The program airs Thursday night at 8:30 on Mountain Lake PBS. Repeat broadcasts: Friday at 6am & 12:30pm, Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 10:30am.
No comments:
Post a Comment