UCO Alumna Helps Children Read to Dogs

A University of Central Oklahoma alumna is working with Oklahoma City’s Ralph Ellison Library by hosting a monthly Children Reading to Dogs event to help children build reading confidence. 

Dr. Maurice Murunga is a Licensed Professional Counselor from Kenya who came to Oklahoma and earned his Master of Arts in International Affairs at The University of Central Oklahoma. Murunga has been in practice for 13 years with individuals of all ages and specializes in trauma, mood disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder treatments.  

In his practice, Murunga wanted his clients to process their trauma in a safe environment and began looking for a therapy dog to attend his sessions. During the process, he found that Oklahoma has many prison inmate dog-training programs that work towards restoring behavioral skills in abandoned dogs for later adoption. 

Murunga contacted an organizer of one of the programs, Friends For Folks, and was paired with Joy, a three-year-old mixed Australian cattle dog. Joy was rescued from the streets and trained at the Lexington Correctional Facility for 11 weeks before coming home with Murunga. 

According to the FFF website, every dog in the program is given special instructions from an inmate-trainer and learn to trust and obey their trainers over the course of the 11 weeks. Once the training is complete, the dogs graduate from this program and are either ready for adoption or proceed with further training to become a service animal, like Joy.

Joy has been attending the Children Reading to Dogs program with the Metropolitan Library System since October of 2024. By having a dog included in his own therapies, Murunga says that his clients can recall the trauma they had gone through and become gradually exposed to it in their sessions.

“Sometimes when I ask them to talk to the dog instead of me, they are able to do that, it’s less threatening for them to talk to the dog who is loving and does not judge them.” Said Murunga.

The Ralph Ellison Library has had the nationwide CRD program on the fourth Thursday of each month for over a decade, said Betty Lee, the Engagement Specialist at the REL. Lee has been working with the library for two years and with the Metro Library System for seven years.

She says that this program has given the children who attend a chance to build or rebuild reading literacy in an environment that is relaxing.

“This particular community…kind of serves a more underserved population and so I feel like it’s a real privilege and an honor to be here to serve the kids here, because I feel like they really need that extra help and that extra push.” Said Lee.

By coming to the library and having the children read to dogs, instead of adults or other children, they are not self-conscious about it and can learn away from their peers, said Lee. Older children who are behind in reading, Lee continued, can come and read in an environment that is not judgmental.

“We do have young guests come in, very eager…they know they’re coming in just for this program and they’re very eager to meet to the dogs.” Lee said.

The Ralph Ellison Library will be holding the next three Children Reading to Dogs events Feb. 26, March 26, and April 30. This event is open to children of all ages. To find out more visit the Ralph Ellison Library events page.