Guest Interview: Reading with Rover Founder, Becky Bishop

Becky Bishop, well-known for her success as co-owner of Puppy Manners, a premier training and boarding facility in Woodinville, shares the challenges, successes, history, and future goals of her 10 year-old foundation, Reading with Rover. You can also learn about Reading with Rover when featured on King 5's Evening Magazine on Wednesday February 23rd.

What inspired you to create Reading with Rover?  I would love to say that I created RwR for children but truth be told, I did it for my dog, Boomer. I was volunteering at the time at hospice with Boomer a very calm, sweet, chocolate Lab. But I could tell working with the terminally ill was not Boomer's calling. He would get depressed with all the sadness surrounding him. But when children  visited, he would light up, wag his tail, and the expression on his face changed. 

Boomer reads a book.

So when Mei Mei WU, a librarian in Bothell, asked if I could help start a program where kids read to dogs, I jumped on it because I knew that it would be something that Boomer would really enjoy. Of course, I love it as well and RwR is for the kids, we just let Boomer think it was for him.

How did you come up with the name?  I wanted it to be something fun and not formal or scary like "Canine Reading Program." I have to give Mei Mei Wu, credit here. She came up with Reading with Rover and I love it! 

Give a lab a book!

What was your vision when the program started?  My initial vision was for all libraries in King County to have a RwR program. But that changed just after we set up our second library on Mercer Island. I received  a call informing me that the King County Library System dismissed our program as well as others and implemented a strict no dog policy. Overnight we were gone. Everyone, including the librarians were in tears.

After a week of sulking, I decided to take RwR to schools and bookstores and offer it, instead, as a program for children with reading challenges. My goal changed and I was re-inspired  to work with children with special learning needs within the school districts.

Has your vision changed as the program has developed?  Our dogs now  help kids with autism, cerebral palsy and other learning and physical challenges. We have branched out from dogs that lay there and listen to children read to dogs that inspire kids to walk and talk. We became a non profit in 2004 and have donated thousands of dollars to children of lower income families to help with educational needs. We also purchase books for the schools where we volunteer. These are books the school could otherwise not afford. 

What are your goals for the future? We would love to have more sponsors or more corporate sponsors like Invisible Fence Northwest that could help take us to a higher level. We want to make a RwR DVD and have those available everywhere in the Seattle area so more people can be aware of who we, what we are, and how they can become involved with their dog.

What has been the biggest challenge in managing this program? Fundraising as well as finding RwR teams and the time to test them is our biggest challenge. I work full-time with my company, Puppy Manners®, and also invest 20 hours a week into RwR as Executive Director. We have a list of schools that want a therapy dog program. Although we have many volunteers, we don’t have enough teams (a handler and a dog) to fulfill that need.

Please describe one of your most memorable RWR stories/moments. I was at Rose Hill Elementary school where I do my weekly reads with my black lab, Bloo. A little boy came in to read to him. The boy had thick black rim glasses, socks that did not match, his hair not combed, and basically unkempt. He sat down and after a long silent petting session, followed up by a hug, he whispered , "I love you Bloo."   I asked him why he loved Bloo so much and he said, "Because he never makes fun of me." That memory, even now, causes me to tear up. The thought that my dog could offer a child a moment of freedom from any pain was more than I ever thought possible.

How can pet owners support Reading with Rover? We would love to have people consider donating to RwR. We are a non- profit and rely on donations. We do not charge for our reading programs. Money we collect goes to help educate people and their dogs as well as to provide educational material for children of a lesser means. 

Also just spread the "Woof" about the program!  If you have a nice dog or your neighbor has a nice dog, consider volunteering with that dog. We also help homeless dogs achieve goals no one ever thought possible and we need volunteers to help us train them. Please contact us if you'd like to join in the fun!

Check out the a Reading with Rover video here!