Come on Over and Read to Rover!

That's the invitation we've been extending to Jefferson County children since March 2005. Olympic Mountain Pet Pals has teamed with the Port Townsend Public Library to enhance children's love of reading through the use of therapy dogs. Children participating in the program have the opportunity to come to libraries (both the Port Townsend Library and the Jefferson County Library) to read to dogs during the summer months. During the school year, the READ to ROVER teams work with first and second graders at Grant Street Elementary and Chimacum Creek Elementary. Fifteen volunteer teams in Jefferson County have completed their training and are now officially registered therapy dogs.

Research shows that children who are learning to read feel more relaxed and less self-conscious when reading to animals. The program aims to improve reading skills, nurture a lifelong love of reading, and help children build bonds with animals. Our program is associated with the national R.E.A.D program - Reading Education Assistance Dogs, a division of Intermountain Therapy Animals.

For those in Jefferson County, WA wanting more information about the READ program, contact Kate Schumann at 360-385-4896.

Photo credits: Peninsula Daily News, Oriana Green.