Paws & Think: Improving Skills & Lives Through Canine Connection

By: Michelle Pritchett

Sometimes when you’re struggling, you just need someone to be there. To listen and not pass judgment. And sometimes that someone is actually a something, as in the case of Paws & Think.

Founded in 2001, Paws & Think is a non-profit organization that works to improve lives through the power of the human-dog connection. They accomplish this by offering the presence of dogs to adults and youth experiencing academic or behavioral challenges, health concerns, stress, or grief and trauma. They serve Marion and surrounding counties, and their presence is growing here in Hendricks County.

One of their primary programs, Paws to Read, is available on Saturdays at nearly all our Hendricks County libraries. They also hope to increase this program in area schools as resources allow.

Plainfield resident Shannon Gaughan-Kelly is the Youth Program Services Coordinator for Paws & Think. She was drawn to the reading component as a volunteer because of her background as a teacher.

“Children who struggle to read don’t want to read so they continue to struggle, and their confidence is low,” shared Gaughan-Kelly. “When they read to a dog, the dog doesn’t judge. If they make a mistake, the dog doesn’t care.”

Additionally, studies show that petting dogs can increase oxytocin levels in both humans and dogs, which can reduce stress and anxiety and improve mood. Therefore, the experience can create a positive connection to reading and help motivate children to keep reading.

“Literacy is so important…so we’re trying to make kids feel better about themselves and have a better association with reading,” said Gaughan-Kelly.

One particular reading session Gaughan-Kelly recalls involved a young boy and her own therapy dog, Georgia. The boy’s mom came up to her afterward visibly emotional. She told her that she had never heard her son read out loud. He wouldn’t read to her, but he was comfortable reading to Georgia. Transitioning from volunteer to employee, Gaughan-Kelly shared that experiences like this are common with Paws and Think.

What qualities make a dog a good candidate for Paws to Read?

“They have to enjoy being petted and be comfortable and fairly calm in a variety of environments,” said Gaughan-Kelly.

All breeds and mixed breeds of dogs can be therapy dogs. Handlers and their dogs attend a fi ve-week, positive-reinforcement training class – one night per week. Once certified, Paws & Think provides a list of venues for handlers to choose from. Gaughan-Kelly shared that many teams have told her that their dogs enjoy working and get as much out of the experience as they do. One handler in Avon said that if they don’t work for a few days, their dog will get his Paws & Think vest and bring it to them.

Paws & Think encourages people to sign up for the Saturday reading sessions, and they are seeking additional therapy teams in Hendricks County, and donations are always appreciated. For more information and to find programs near you, visit pawsandthink.org.

A reader with Oakley, a rescue dog turned Paws & Think therapy dog, at the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library.