We had another excellent reading session at Green Road Library last night during their family night program. I was really encouraged by the enthusiasm of the kids and parents, and the support of the librarian.

Freddie and I were joined by Brenda & Teddy (an adorable poodle) and Tiffany & Paco (a handsome Belgian Malinois). Upon entering the library, Freddie promptly proceeded to scare the heck out of a few people who are not used to seeing a big dog come into the library. Despite his adorable face, I still have to keep in mind that not everyone is as comfortable with big dogs.

At around 7:00 pm, there were quite a few kids in the library being tutored and several families had signed up in advance to have their kids read to the dogs. Between 7:00 and 8:00, all three dogs were kept pretty busy with readers. By 8:00 pretty much everyone had gone home.

The highlight of the evening for me and Freddie was a family with an older girl and two younger boys, all of whom were afraid of the dogs (particularly Freddie). Each one of the children managed to conquer their fear and come closer to the dogs. Those three kids read to each of the three dogs, and by the end of the hour were happily stroking Freddie, feeding treats to Teddy and saying goodbye to Paco. The two boys were particularly charming and happy to snuggle up for reading.

There was a little more noise and chaos this time than before, but it didn’t seem to bother the kids one bit. Freddie had at least 4 or 5 children read to him, and everyone seemed engaged in the experience. At one point, Freddie put his chin on the book in front of him and I had to lift his head so the child could turn the page.

Luckily, no one decided to read “Kat Kong” or “Dogzilla”. Instead, I heard “Dog Heaven” (which is kind of a tear jerker if you’ve ever lost a dog), a story about Boomer getting a new puppy, another story about a boy eating too many hot dogs, and a nice dog safety book that I think was called “May I Pet Your Dog?”. I know for sure that Teddy heard “Dog Breath” and there was so much going on that I don’t know what stories Paco heard.

Overall, I thought it was a great success. I especially felt good that our dogs were helping kids enjoy reading and also helping some of them overcome their fears. I’ll be following up with the librarian to schedule another session, and perhaps we will settle into a schedule where we can start to build some regulars and repeat readers.

I really encourage others in the group to go out and find reading opportunities. It is just a great feeling. Thanks again to Tiffany & Paco, and Brenda & Teddy for joining us at this event.