HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Seven-year-old Nora and her four-year-old brother Kit are used to their mom reading to them at home, but at The Humane Society of Tampa Bay, the children turn the pages while the animals listen.
They call the program Paws For Literacy. It runs after school every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon and is entirely free.
“I love it because it promotes literacy; I love that my daughter wants to read and just the empathy of seeing the animals,” said mother Julie Garver.
“It's just such a good program; the parents love it because their kids are getting reading experience and because they are reading out loud, and then the kids love it because they are hanging out with the animals, and then the animals love it because they are hanging out with anybody,” said Regan Blessinger with The Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
“I like spending time with them, holding them; they are so fluffy and fury,” said Nora.
Every week, new animals are read to, from dogs to cats to rabbits and birds. The kids can bring their books, or the Humane Society provides a wide variety.
“A lot of the books and reading materials that we offer are about animal welfare, about having pets, tips and tricks as a kid to have your own pets, so maybe you can convince your parents when you read those books that you are finally ready,” said Blessinger.
Ultimately, some of these families take their reading partners home.
“Families come in, they do Paws For Literacy, and maybe their kid goes to read to the same dog every single week, and then over a couple weeks they’re like, ‘ok we can’t live without this animal,’” said Blessinger.
Parents also say it’s an excellent way for kids to learn about the process of adoption.
“We get to talk about how these animals are going to forever homes, and I think that is really special, and we don’t have pets, so we get to have the love and give love,” said Garver.
