Little Women Inspired Dog Names

Margaret March, better known as Meg, is the eldest of the four sisters in this novel, set in Massachusetts during the Civil War. She is based in part on author Louisa May Alcott’s eldest sister, Anna Alcott, a compliant young woman with a clear understanding of the expectations of society and a desire for beautiful things. Her family was once wealthy but lost their financial footing when her father, a minister now serving as a chaplain in the war, made an unwise loan to a friend. In order to help her family to make ends meet during this difficult time, she works as a governess for a wealthy family, the Kings, who have four children. The job of a governess typically includes teaching the children of the household or at least helping with their studies, and in this capacity, Meg certainly spent some time listening to youngsters read.

Like Meg March, Meg the Retrodoodle, a crossbreed between a Golden Retriever and a Miniature Poodle, listens to children read on a regular basis. Twice a week Meg’s pet parent, Janetta Wilmer, brings Meg to Kerikeri Primary School in the northern part of New Zealand, where she works as a reading therapy dog, listening to students read stories to her. When Meg visits the school, she first collects her library toy, a stuffed monkey, and takes a seat on the library couch, often with her head in the lap of a student. Although Meg is not able to read herself, her presence provides a living, breathing audience that is completely non-judgemental and doesn’t correct them, which gives the students greater confidence and helps to encourage them to read more, a service that is particularly helpful for children who struggle with reading and vocabulary.

Former teacher and university lecturer Richard Ward was so delighted with the idea that he decided to pen a children’s book about Meg. The book, titled Sam and the Reading Dog, was created for children ages five to eight in mind, and the illustrations of Sam, rendered by Gabriella Klepatski, were based on one of the students that Meg has helped, a boy named Drew Baldock-Heta, who used to hate reading; after he started working with Meg, he became more engaged when he was reading, and Meg’s visits quickly became the highlight of his week. The launch of the book was held at the Kerikeri Primary’s library and was attended by Richard Ward, Meg, and several of the teachers and students from Kerikeri, including Drew.