Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye, even for the pups. 

Celebrating our last Read to Rover session at Salish Coast Elementary this past week was bittersweet. Our dog teams are off for summer break and won’t rejoin the newly minted second-graders until after the new school year begins in the fall. Until then, we will miss the children who come every week to read their favorite books to our therapy dogs.

The reading levels of second-graders vary, so the dogs offer an opportunity for a child to practice reading out loud to a pup who doesn’t mind if a word or two is mispronounced. Dogs are not partial to certain subjects, although some children will bring a couple of books and ask the dog to choose a favorite. Often, the child wants to show the dog pictures and our pups usually comply by peering intently at the pages. Sometimes children refer to Read to Rover dogs as their “school dogs,” so the first couple minutes are full of hugs and greetings before getting down to the business of reading.

Every week, the dogs can’t wait to prance up the stairs and down the hallway to the library. They greet other Read to Rover dogs like friends they haven’t seen for a while, get a few hugs from the staff and then settle into their reading spots waiting for the children to come, even rewarding the kids with tricks at the end of each session. As dog owners, we get to witness the joy the dogs and children bring to the art of reading.

If you are interested in participating in the Read to Rover program this coming fall, please visit ompetpals.org/read-to-rover to learn more about what we do. We’d love to have you on our team.

Donna Geer
PORT LUDLOW