Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath recently hosted its inaugural monthly Read-to-a-Therapy Dog session called ‘Hey Doggy, Listen Up!’, marking a unique collaboration in Bath between Mr B’s and Therapy Dogs Nationwide.
“The idea behind the sessions is to help kids or adults who struggle with speech and reading aloud or who might be autistic or socially anxious, by allowing them to come and spend some time in a quiet part of the shop to read to a therapy dog,” explained Juliette Bottomley, co-owner of Mr B’s.
“Many studies here and in the US have shown that reading to a dog can hugely help to improve confidence and can break down barriers to reading. Dogs make great listeners and they don’t judge.”
Juliette wanted to set up this up ever since one of her team, Hannah, told her about a successful read-to-a-dog scheme where she had worked in Tennessee. Being a huge animal lover and benefitting from her own form of animal therapy as a volunteer at Coppershell Farm Animal Sanctuary in Corsham, Juliette was very taken with the idea of animal therapy being used to help spread the joy of reading.
She approached the charity Therapy Dogs Nationwide (TDN) which works to co-ordinate volunteers across the country to put them in touch with establishments who feel they would benefit from therapy dog visits. “TDN put me in touch with one of their volunteers Sally, a retired nurse who is based in Bath and who owns Nessa – the kindest, most gentle dog you could ever meet,” explained Juliette. “Nessa’s a rescue dog and has always had a sweet and calm nature, so Sally had applied for her to become a registered therapy dog a few months ago.”
How the sessions work
Mr B’s hosted its first ‘Hey Doggy, Listen Up!’ session with Nessa on Sunday 14th July upstairs in a quiet part of their shop on John Street in central Bath. Kids and adults booked in a 10-15 minute time slot to spend time with Nessa one-on-one, reading to her, stroking and brushing her. It was such a huge success that Mr B’s have decided to host the sessions on a monthly basis, so as to benefit as many people as possible.
The next planned dates for the sessions are Sunday 18th Aug and Sunday 15th Sep both from 11.15am-1.15pm.
The sessions are completely free, with a suggested donation to TDN. Given how quickly the first session booked out, early booking of slots is advised. Dates will be announced on Mr B’s website www.mrbsemporium.com and on their e-newsletter and social media pages.
Home – THERAPY DOGS NATIONWIDE (tdn.org.uk)
Mr B’s has made Therapy Dogs Nationwide its Charity of the Moment, with various fundraising events and initiatives to be announced on its newsletter and website.