One Oakdale Dog Lends A Helping Paw

Tiki, a 3-year-old Pekingese, appears to be a typical dog. He can sit, speak and lie down, just like his other furry friends. But Tiki can also bow, play dead, do a spinning jump in the air and, in his free time, read with children. That’s because Tiki is a certified therapy dog—a credential that his Oakdale owner, Lynne, is proud of. When Lynne adopted Tiki as a puppy, she immediately started socializing and training him. Through classes at Woodbury’s AllBreed Obedience school, Lynne realized that there was something special about Tiki. “I took him to every type of obedience training there was,” Lynne said. “And all of his trainers said he’d make a really good therapy dog.” In 2010, Lynne decided to put Tiki’s smarts to the test. She enrolled him in AllBreed’s therapy dog preparation course, a series of classes that prepares dogs for a therapy dog test administered by Pet Partners. Over the course of eight weeks, Tiki learned how to be comfortable in a hospital setting, stay calm in a crowd, stay on someone’s lap for 30 seconds and accept pets from strangers, among other things. After he received his certification, Lynne started using Tiki’s new-found skills at the Oakdale Library. Through the library’s Dog Gone Reading program, Tiki gets to read with children, one of his favorite activities. “Tiki loves children,” Lynne said. “That’s why I decided to try the Dog Gone Reading program, and it’s been a great fit.” According to Reading Education Assistance Dogs of Minnesota (R.E.A.D), a local organization that pairs therapy dogs with children, when children read to dogs, they often forget about their limitations. Reading to dogs allows children to relax and read better. In a nation where 11 million adults are illiterate, dogs like Tiki are helping in the little ways they can. “When the children read to Tiki, they aren’t being judged,” Lynne said. “If they stumble, or aren’t reading well, it doesn’t matter.” For 8-year-old Nicholas Porter, reading to Tiki was something new and different. “[Nicholas] loves to read,” his mother and Oakdale resident, Beth Porter, said. “So when we saw that he could read to dogs at the library, I thought that would be fun for him.” After reading to Tiki once, Nicholas Porter wanted to immediately sign up for another session. “It was just something so unexpected to find at the library,” Beth Porter said. Oakdale Library’s Dog Gone Reading events are held on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the Oakdale Library. To schedule a free, 15 minute session, sign up at the library’s information desk or call 651-730-0504.