HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 3-Lesson 14Did you know that dogs can help people in the hospital? Often people in the
hospital feel lonely, bored, and sad. Imagine how their feelings might change if
they had sweet little dogs to come and sit in their laps every day!
Therapy dogs undergo conditioning to help people deal with diffi cult times
in their lives. These dogs can make people feel less lonely. In fact, they can
make people feel happy and more active. Sometimes the dogs can even help
sick people get better faster. These dogs help doctors and nurses shoulder the
burden of helping sick people.
Dogs are not the only ones who can do animal therapy. Birds, cats, elephants,
lizards, pigs, horses, and even dolphins can help people. For example, a horse
can help a person who has an injury. First the person is placed on a horse. Then
someone leads the horse slowly around. The injured person begins to remember
how to balance. They also develop a friendship with the horse!
It is very important that any animal used for pet therapy is friendly. Suppose a
patient beckoned to a therapy dog to come closer and play, and the dog bared
its teeth and growled. Then the patient might become upset and afraid. This is
why only certain animals make good therapy pets. These animals are trained to
be gentle. Good therapy animals also have no trouble meeting new people.
Animals can be good at helping people with special needs. But what about
healthy people who own pets? Can animals still make them healthier and
happier? The answer is yes. Dogs need exercise. Dog owners can run in the
park with their dog and throw a ball for the dog to catch. Getting exercise with
a furry pal is sure to keep anyone’s spirits up!
Scientists have surveyed and studied many pet owners over the years. They
have found that pet owners are much healthier than non-pet owners. This is
especially true of people who live alone, including the elderly. In fact, owning a
pet is one of the best ways of stalling the effects of aging.
If you and your parents want to fi nd a pet, you can go to your local animal
shelter and spend some time thumbing through pictures of animals that need a
home. People need animals, and there are many animals in shelters that need
people, too.
COMPREHENSION How can a pet help someone deal with a challenging
experience? Which words help you understand what animals and people do?
Furry Helpers
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Sammy pulled on the leash, prodding his human to walk faster. He hoped to fi nd
Daisy, the cute little Sheltie who almost always walked her human at this time of day.
Sammy shifted to the other side of the path, hoping to catch a glimpse of her through
the trees, but he couldn’t see her anywhere. Then he heard her pretty, laughing voice.
“Hi’ya Sammy! Did you miss me?” called Daisy from behind him.
Sammy took a deep breath and infl ated his chest to make himself look bigger.
“Daisy! Have you been following me?” he asked.
“Yes, sorry I’m late. It took me a while to get my human out of bed this morning. I
think she’s feeling a little sick.”
“You’re right,” answered Sammy, looking up at Daisy’s human. “She looks pale.”
“Yes, but they all look pale when it gets cold. I guess that’s the price they pay for not
having fur,” joked Daisy.
Just then, a voice called to them from the other side of the park. “Hey, guys!” They
turned to see a huge dog bounding toward them. A human was running after the dog.
He was trying to catch the big dog’s leash, which was swinging from the dog’s neck, to
and fro.
“Hey, guys. Look! I’m running my human,” said the big dog.
“Oh no! It’s PeeWee!” said Sammy, bracing himself for a big collision.
“Hey, hey, hey! Here I come!” The big dog jumped up and landed on Sammy. PeeWee
was just trying to be friendly, but he was squashing Sammy.
“Hey, this is kind of comfortable,” said PeeWee. “I could get used to this.”
Daisy barked until Sammy’s human noticed what was happening. He took PeeWee by
the collar and pulled him off Sammy.
PeeWee acted as if nothing had happened. “Hey, look,” he said. “My human is here.
Hey, nice run, human. You’re a good human.”
The human looked angry. He yanked the leash and stomped away with PeeWee. Sammy
and Daisy breathed sighs of relief. PeeWee could get a little too excited sometimes.
The dogs said goodbye to each other and started to take their humans home. They
could not wait to see each other again tomorrow.
COMPREHENSION What is surprising or unusual about this story? What words
in the story tell about the characters’ actions?
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