King knows when it’s Tuesday. He sees the cues. Brushed early. Blue Bright Spot therapy dog vest placed by the door. His Reading Buddy book bag placed next to the vest. Then, it’s his leash and collar. He knows, it’s his day to go to Hilltown Charter School where he will listen to some of his friends read interesting stories and chapter books to him.
King and I need to get off to an early start on Tuesday mornings. He sits close to my side at the kitchen table watching me eat a quick breakfast and gulp down a cup of coffee. If he feels I’m not moving fast enough, he moves in closer to my side. His signal to me to pick-it-up. He’s due at his office in time to settle in ready for his first reader at 9:00 a.m. sharp.
He watches… On with my coat. King prances around the room in excitement. Now, finally! I pick up his blue vest. I hold it in my hands in such a way that he runs into it, thrusting his head through the front loop. Collar on, and, off we go. King runs to the door and jumps in the car, sitting upright in the backseat gazing out the window throughout our 20-minute ride to the school. When I turn into the school parking lot, he starts to whimper excitedly, like a little kid arriving at the playground.
King is the perfect Reading Buddy. As soon as he enters the school, he’s on-the-job. It’s a tough job: getting hugged and petted by each of the 14 children who read to him in his special office. Today, he listened intently to a mystery, several books about animals, and three books from the Fly Guy series.
The ride home is very different. King is content with his morning’s work. He stretches out over the entire backseat and sleeps all the way home. Kids love him and he loves helping them learn to read.