Tango and I got a call to fill in as R.E.A.D. volunteers at a local college. The college houses a young reading education program for kids who are kindergarten to fourth grade and who have troubles reading.
We volunteer through a local therapy dog organization called Wags for Hope - a local non-profit organization that provides volunteers
with their pets to bring joy to the lives of others.
We're looking forward to working with the children - it will give us good practice for the fall, when the R.E.A.D programs begin in earnest at the beginning of the school year.
Eventually, I'd like to get Lily certified to participate, but we've got some work to do before that happens. Her reaction to other dogs is less than perfect. She'd relish the opportunity, however, to sit with the children - she so enjoys quiet attention.
Nemo, on the other hand, will have to wait a few more years. He's far too social for this kind of program. The focus of the program is on the children and their reading skills, not on the dogs. In fact, the most helpful dogs are the quiet, unobtrusive ones. Something Nemo is definitely not! He likes chaos, and is happy to provide it. With some more training and some maturity, it may be a possibility. Or, more appropriately, I need to find a program that matches Nemo's personality, rather than expecting him to change to match the program.
