Paws for reading

Guapo and Dolley Madison, 2-year-old pugs, are all ears for first- through third-graders during twice weekly, 75-minute reading sessions at Reche Canyon Elementary School in Colton, California. The two dogs are part of Pug Tails, a volunteer educational therapy program started by Bonnie Strom, Dolley’s owner and handler. The children are in the program because their reading levels are two to three grade levels behind, said Principal Diane Mumper. The program has helped improve the children’s reading scores, and the close contact with the canines has boosted the students’ self-esteem. Read the article from the The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California) website.