Husky News

KODY cannot speak any language, but he understands them all. The 12-year-old listens intently as kids read and talk to him, whether it be in English, Spanish, Japanese or Korean. Kody is the much-loved canine companion and occasional colleague of Ellen Waskey, reading specialist at Pleasantons Lydiksen Elementary School.

KODY cannot speak any language, but he understands them all.

The 12-year-old listens intently as kids read and talk to him, whether it be in English, Spanish, Japanese or Korean.

Kody is the much-loved canine companion and occasional colleague of Ellen Waskey, reading specialist at Pleasantons Lydiksen Elementary School.

The ultra-fluffy, oversized Samoyed is a perfect reading buddy for kids who enjoy snuggling up in his warm fur as they thumb through their books.

Dogs themselves are universal languages and can be seen as such, said Sue Jones, who works in the childrens section of the Pleasanton library. Every child loves a warm, loving dog. It bridges language barriers or any kind of barrier you can think of. A dog can bridge that.

Dogs also are accepting of children, regardless of their reading skills.

When you have a kid who isnt confident in her reading abilities, having a dog to read to is very nonjudgmental, Lydiksen parent Jennifer Berrigan said. It certainly gives you more feedback than a stuffed animal.

Berrigans third-grade daughter, Kate, has been lucky enough to read with Kody when working with Waskey.

If you do any type of voice modulation, a dog will look at you and perk up its ears, Berrigan said. A dog seems to be more attentive and give you that positive feedback.

They don't care if you mispronounce a word."

Waskey started taking Kody to work with her in Seattle in 1997 when the pooch was still a young pup.

"In Seattle, it rains a lot," Waskey said. "The schools have covered play areas for the kids. The alternative was to come to the library and read. They couldn't just come in and play with Kody and pet him. We decided to make it a working day for him."

The kids knew that if they came to the library, they had to read to Kody, short for Kodiak.

"There was great incentive to read," she said. "The initial reaction was, 'Yeah, I want to see the dog, so I'm going to read a book.' Then they'd just come in and read a book. I found that kids were reading more."

Waskey works with kids with a wide range of reading difficulties. Some kids are merely struggling, while other don't speak English or maybe they're having troubles at home.

When Waskey was in Seattle, the school had some severely emotionally disturbed kids who benefited from a little one-on-one time with the mellow Kody.

"Sometimes they just needed a time out to go with him," she said. "He calms kids. It calms us, too. That's why therapy pets are used in retirement homes. It makes everyone feel at ease."

Kody, with his luxurious locks, is so placid that Waskey had him certified as a therapy dog. That means that he's gentle and well-behaved enough to visit nursing homes or hospitals to perk up people's spirits.

Waskey and Kody also are frequent participants in Pleasanton library's Paws to Read program, which pairs kids with dogs for half-hour reading sessions.

"Ellen is absolutely invaluable to the Paws to Read program," Jones said. "Not only does this woman spend her days helping children learn to read, but on Tuesdays she extends that day to come help other children learn to read with the help of a warm, fuzzy dog. Ellen and Kody are an unbeatable team."

"There are actually children who believe they are teaching dogs to read," Jones added. "They never know that the benefit is to them."

Waskey, a Bay Area native, moved back to California in 1999 and started working at Lydiksen. It was only natural that Kody continue in his special role as book dog.

"The kids feel so comfortable and relaxed when they're with him," she said. "The kids aren't acting silly or out of control. They take it very seriously. They know that when he comes to school, it's for practicing reading."

Kody has even made guest appearances at the school's book fairs to promote the fun of reading. He takes it all in stride as adoring children fawn over him.

It's Kody's easy-going spirit that makes him such a hit with kids and so successful in encouraging them to be better readers, Berrigan said.

"Kody is really good with the kids," she said. "That takes a special kind of dog."

Kody is getting on up there in dog years. At 121/2 years of age, he's lived a full six months beyond the average life expectancy for a Samoyed. As such, he's slowing down. He's retired from visiting nursing homes and semi-retired from the book business.

"He's a great dog," Waskey said. "I've been really blessed. I've met so many people because of him through all of our volunteer work. It's nice that he touches so many lives."

Source: Inside Bay Area