As Lily and I passed through the school lobby to the library this afternoon, I could hear whispered voices saying, Look, there’s Lily, the Reading Dog! Lily, decked out in her Bright Spot Therapy Dogs blue vest and ID badge, walked politely at my side as we entered the library and settled into the reading corner, awaiting each of our readers. Led by their teacher, the first grade class quietly entered the library and sat on the floor in a semi-circle where the school librarian, Mrs. Rousseau, issued directions for the day’s lesson.
I love watching Lily interacting with the kids. They adore her and she eats up the attention they give her. I’m very proud of the way she handles her role as a Reading Dog. Sometimes she lies down and leans against me while she looks on at the first or second grader reading his special book just for her. Other times she snuggles into the side of the seated reader peering at the book, seemingly following along.
Four readers had the chance to read one-on-one with their Reading Dog today. The time passed quickly. Before we knew it, the second graders were instructed to line up at the door. Their library time comes at the end of the school day, so they are dismissed from the library to head out to awaiting school buses and car rides home. All the children wanted to say good-bye to Lily, so she sat at the door and they all got to pet her and say good-bye ’til next week as they passed out the door. Lily was beaming. She knew she had done well.
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