Furry helper brings joy to Inverloch library

INVERLOCH library has a fun, furry and fabulous assistant who listens to children read on Thursday afternoons.  

Bindi is an Australian Shepard and a Story Dog who will sit and hear children, typically aged between seven and eight, read a story. 

Story Dog is a successful program that has been undertaken Australia wide and is intended to create a safe, fun and supportive environment for children needing assistance with literacy.
The program was initiated by Bindi’s owner Robyn who is the Library and Programs Officer together with Jo Bowler, Inverloch Library Branch Manager. 

“We both love dogs, and we were talking about how we can get dogs in the library. Then we heard about the Story Dog which originally comes from America,” Jo said. 
Bindi and Robyn undertook the Story Dog Assessment which was supported and sponsored by RACV Inverloch.

“The whole idea is a judgement free setting where kids can just have fun with reading and the therapeutic benefits of animals are well known, and so the dog is just accepting and sits there and there’s no pressure,” Jo said. 

“Robyn sits with Bindi and the child but Robyn’s not teaching, she is just facilitating, and she’ll encourage the kids, but its more just about having a lovely time reading with the dog in the library.”
A dedicated reading space is set up in the library for Robyn, Bindi and the child reading a story to sit, and Bindi isn’t fussy about what story she listens to.  

“They sit on a little couch, down the end of the library and Bindi’s just happy because she’s allowed up on the couch and she’s allowed to have cuddles and she’s getting a lot of attention and having stories read to her, so she’s very happy.

She has a little vest that she wears to show that she’s working, and she wears very cute little socks because sometimes she can get excited and ask for pats, so she has to wear little socks on her front feet.”

“Bindi is so sweet and we’ve had really wonderful reactions from a lot of kids as well.” 

Jo recounted a story about a mum and her son, who had had a tricky time and a few challenges in class and had become a reluctant reader. 

“When he found out he was coming to the library to read to a dog he was so excited, he was talking about what book he was going to read, and his mum said she hadn’t heard him talk about reading with such excitement for a long time.” 

Jo said that Bindi has proven to be popular not only among the children, but also with adults coming into the library as well.  

“It’s not just the kids that get a lot of joy out of reading to her, she comes and spends most of the day here usually, and she sits behind the desk with us. Even seeing the adults seeing her, the joy that that brings as well, especially when they hear that she’s there for a story for kids to read to her.”

 “It’s something that we’re really excited about because it’s something a bit different and it’s also something which is just fun and lovely,” Jo said. 

Parents can make bookings for their children to read a story to Bindi on Thursday afternoons through Eventbrite or through the library.