Number of Participants: 10
Hours Donated: 2
Value of Time Served: $169
Event Type: Animal Welfare
Sport: Team
Date: May 9, 2017
Location:
95 Washington Drive Centerport
New York 11721, United States
About:
Students at Washington Drive Primary School had the exciting opportunity to read to Moby, a golden retriever and certified therapy dog on April 27. This was the first time that the program Reading to Moby was brought to the school. The dog-filled afternoon took place in kindergarten teacher Emily Gutheil’s classroom where students rotated through five stations and participated in activities such as dog bingo and a drawing activity where students learned how to draw a dog. Moby, with his owner and dog trainer Lance Motkin sat with students and Motkin answered questions that the students had. One of the stations was reading to Moby. Each student had the opportunity to pick a book and sit next to Moby on the carpet where they read him a story. The objective of the visit was to provide a relaxed and “dog-friendly” atmosphere that allowed students to practice their reading skills. “Most children just seem to naturally love animals, especially dogs” said Gutheil. “Research has shown that these types of activities provide positive motivation to children as they sit by, read to and pet a calm and gentle dog.” At the conclusion of the afternoon, the students sang a song that they wrote for Moby as a thank you that went along to the tune of “Bingo Was His Name-O.”
