CELPIP Listening Part 4 Practice Test: Reading to Dogs

NARRATOR: Some of the most attentive listeners at a public library branch in Prince George this fall have four legs and a wagging tail. Every Tuesday after school, children in grades one to four sign up for fifteen-minute sessions in which they read aloud to a trained therapy dog. The program was launched in September by children's librarian Nadia Ferreira, who had noticed that many struggling readers became visibly anxious when asked to read in front of classmates, or even their own parents. A dog, she points out, doesn't correct mispronunciations, doesn't sigh, and never glances at the clock. The six participating dogs and their volunteer handlers are certified through a regional therapy-animal organization, which screens every animal for temperament and requires an annual reassessment. Parents report encouraging results. One mother says her eight-year-old son, who once hid his library books under the bed, now practises whole chapters at home so he'll be prepared for his Tuesday companion, a gentle golden retriever named Biscuit. Ferreira cautions that the sessions are no substitute for classroom instruction, describing them instead as a way of rebuilding confidence. Demand has already exceeded expectations, with more than forty families on a waiting list. The library hopes to add Saturday sessions in January, provided additional volunteers come forward.