Kids event

Story Dog Sessions

Story Dogs, a program in which children read to placid canines and their human handlers, was launched in Australia in 2009. The program usually runs through schools, but Fullers are excited to partner with the organisation in the upcoming spring school holidays!

For children who are struggling with the vital skill of reading, lack of confidence is a key issue. Children often become caught in a cycle of failure which can create an ever widening gap between themselves and fluent readers. By providing a non-judgmental space for a child to read to an animal listener, confidence can be built and progress generally follows.

Story Dog handlers are trained to help emergent readers (year 2 students are their ideal age bracket). We encourage you to keep this in mind for these Fullers sessions, but we are happy to accept readers of any age.

Dogs and their handlers will be in store on Monday 30 September (and Thursday 10 October) for a select number of sessions. These will be ticketed and run for 15 minutes each. They are designed for one child at a time* to sit and read to a calm, attentive dog. Children can pick a book from our Fullers shelves, or bring their own favourite.

The doggy handler is there to help as needed in a gentle, compassionate way. The organisation is fully insured and all have Working with Children checks.

You can choose a timeslot below. Each child’s session is $5, with all proceeds donated to Story Dogs. 

*If you have more than one child in your family or group, that’s okay. However we have capped session at 3 children per 15-minute session; if you require more time, you will need to book sequential time slots.