Kids can read to therapy dog Gracie at Avondale library

by Joe Golfen - Feb. 25, 2009 08:42 AM
The Arizona Republic
Dogs don't always make for good book-club buddies, but they are great listeners.

The Avondale Civic Center Library is inviting kids and parents to a special story time Thursday with Gracie, a therapy dog with the Avondale Police Department.

Gracie, a Labrador/golden retriever mix, will be at the library with her handler, Rick Stewart. The kids can pick which books they'd like to read to the dogs every other Thursday.

"There's a connection between the dogs and kids, because the dogs are patient listeners and won't correct them if they pronounce a word wrong or anything like that," Civic Center Branch Manager Ava Gutwein said. "They're just happy to sit and listen to the stories."

The Police Department's Volunteers in Police Service program, or VIPS, uses therapy dogs that are trained to comfort people in stressful situations. But dogs also can help decrease the stress of learning to read.

Debbie Ray, volunteer coordinator with Avondale police, said the story time program helps children build their self-esteem and reading skills, while letting the dogs spend more time with the community.

"This program allows the animals to not only be in the stressful world of police work, but also lets them be around children and be part of the community," she said.