REALTOR^® Suzy Osum provides support and smiles to area hospice patients as well as listening ears to children learning to read. But Suzy is not alone in her volunteer efforts: her sidekick, and equally important volunteer, is her 38-pound standard poodle and registered therapy dog, Disco.

Four-year-old Disco underwent training and testing by a certified evaluator with Therapy Dogs International (TDI) to complete her therapy dog registration. In addition to TDI, Disco also has earned the American Kennel Club’s “Canine Good Citizen” certificate.

Hospice visits

A visit with Disco helps hospice patients and the patients’ families feel upbeat during an otherwise grim time. Osum and Disco volunteer with a therapy dog group that coordinates hospice visits on a weekly and monthly basis throughout Jefferson and Waukesha counties. Osum and Disco volunteer for the Gentiva Hospice organization and visit patients across Waukesha County. 

“Many hospice patients might not have their own animals anymore and look forward to the therapy dog visits,” said Osum. “It’s a nice feeling to know that we can make someone’s day a little brighter.” 

Library reading program

New Berlin-area students can improve reading skills — and even make a new furry friend — by reading aloud to Disco at the New Berlin Public Library through its “Read to Rover” program. Every Tuesday, Osum and Disco visit the library’s children’s center to participate in the reading program. During the weekly visits, three children read to Disco for 20 minutes each. To give the readers an extra incentive, Osum helps each child teach Disco a trick once they complete the reading session. 

Several studies have shown that children struggling to read benefit from a canine listener. A 2007 University of Central Florida study found that students assigned to reading to therapy dogs demonstrated more growth in reading skills than those reading aloud to certified teachers and no dog. In a 2010 study conducted by the UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, students who read aloud to dogs over the 10-week study improved reading skills by 12 percent; those in the study who did not read to dogs showed no improvement.

In addition to hospice visits and the reading program, Osum and Disco also stay busy by visiting hospitals, nursing homes and Osum’s church. The two plan to participate together in charity runs this spring and summer.

Want to learn more about Osum and Disco’s community work? Visit www.tdi-dog.org to learn about Therapy Dogs International and its impact across the country as well as Canada. Also visit www.newberlinlibrary.org to learn more about the Read to Rover program at New Berlin Public Library. Stop by the library, and you may even get a chance to meet Disco!