By Emma Bouthillette
Staff Writer
Baxter Memorial Library is going to the dogs this summer, Tully the Reading Education Assistance Dog, that is.
Reading Education Assistance Dog is a program launched in 1999 by Intermountain Therapy Animals. The idea is for young children to improve their literacy skills by reading to a “nonjudgmental being” said Betsy Porter, Tully’s owner.
Porter will bring Tully to the library Tuesday afternoons in July to listen to children reading.
“Having been a special education teacher when I lived in Seattle, and seeing the statistics on reading improving [with the program], I decided it was a good idea,” Porter said.
Tuesdays with Tully was created when Porter approached Baxter Memorial Library in Gorham about running the program. Children ages 5 to 12 can sign up for 15 to 20 minute sessions between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. July 8, 15, 22 or 29.
Tully is a 25-pound, 5-year-old golden Labradoodle, who has been a registered Delta Society therapy dog for two years. Porter said she waited for Tully to grow out of his high energy, playful puppy temperament before training him as a therapy dog. Since Tully was registered as a therapy dog, the two have done therapy work with patients at Bayside NeuroRehab Services in Portland and Buckeye Community in Arizona. Porter said Tully, now affectionate and mellow, has been Reading Education Assistance Dog certified.
Danielle Grady, the library’s youth services assistant, said this summer’s reading program theme is “Catch the Reading Bug.” She said children set a goal in terms of chapters or books they will read in a certain period to earn a free book and other prizes for reaching their goal.
Porter and Grady said children can count reading to Tully toward their summer reading goal.
“We’re looking to encourage stronger readers, and any bit of reading counts,” Grady said.
Porter referred to Reading Education Assistance Dog’s documented benefits including reduction of anger, anxiety and depression, an increase in positive expectations, reinforcement of learning and to enhance the love of reading. Porter said she will also help children with vocabulary and comprehension.
“I do that by saying, ‘Tully doesn’t understand that word’ or ‘Tully doesn’t understand what is going on.’ Then I ask the child to explain it to him,” Porter said.
Porter said she ran a similar program for students in Gorham Middle School’s life skills class this year.
“The kids loved it at Gorham Middle School,” Porter said.
Porter said her experience working with children comes from substitute teaching in Gorham, as well as her career in Seattle.  While Tully is Porter’s first therapy dog, she said she has 20 years of experience raising dogs. She used to bring her Rottweilers into school when she worked in Seattle and her husband currently breeds Labradoodles.
“When you bring a dog in, people just melt. I’ll give the child time to get comfortable with the dog, and once comfortable, they can start reading,” Porter said.
“This is the first time we have run a program like this and we are looking to introduce people to the concept. We already have quite a few kids signed up,” Grady said.
To sign up for Tuesdays with Tully, please contact Danielle Grady at Baxter Memorial Library 839-5031.