Reading Dogs

No, they don't read, but they do get read to...

Hope and her buddy Mason (another CCI release dog) were reading dogs in Roseville Library's "Tales to Tail" program that we joined this month. On each Tuesday night in April, we participated in a reading program where kids from the 1st to 5th grades sign up to read to the dogs for 25 minutes. We do two sessions a night. It's been really enjoyable and Hope seems to love it, its funny but she spends practically the whole hour on her back getting a belly rub from the kid that is reading to her. Parents are not allowed in the room, its just the child, dog, and the handler, so there is no pressure on the child, just the unconditional love from the dog. At the end of the session, the child is handed a bookmark with a picture of the dog they just read to. On the back the bookmark, it says, "Thanks for reading to me today, Hope" The kids seem to really love the bookmarks.

The library gave Mason and Hope their own special scarf and nametag. You can see the bookmark they made with Hope's picture by her foot. The hardest part about this whole thing? Trying to sit on the floor for an hour without my legs falling asleep, boy, do I feel old! I think I need to start taking yoga again...

Here's a link that explains a little more about the program: (there a cool little video clip on the page too): http://www.roseville.ca.us/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=1034