What do you get when you mix 480 pounds of dog with 690 plus pounds of kid, then throw in a few grown-ups and a bunch of books? It sounds like the perfect recipe for Best Friends Animal Society’s “I Read to Animals” program.
The program, designed to help youngsters become more confident readers while building healthy relationships with animals, will make its New York debut Sunday, Nov. 1, at 3 and 4 p.m. at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Three massive mastiffs will be on hand to listen loyally as 15 children, mostly aged kindergarten through third grade, take turns reading to them.
Archon, a 150-pound bullmastiff, Odin, a 200-pound English mastiff, and Monsoor, an Italian mastiff (the little guy, weighing in at just 130 pounds!), will be the first eager audience. All are rescued dogs with educational experience working in schools with children.
In addition to reading to the dogs, children who participate in “I Read to Animals” do a take-home project, adopt a stuffed animal to whom they can read in the future, and participate in a humane education lesson that teaches compassionate care of pets and building healthy relationships with animals.
Studies show that the presence of dogs lowers people's blood pressure while they read aloud. Children gain self-confidence by reading to pets in a relaxed, non-judgmental, encouraging environment with trained pet teams. A child who may be hesitant to read aloud to his peers is typically less stressed when reading to a dog or other animal.
“I Read to Animals”
Date: Sunday, November 1
Times: 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Location: Children’s Museum of Manhattan
Tisch Building
212 West 83rd Street
New York City, New York
How you can help
- To learn more about the “I Read to Animals” program, click on the image to the right to watch an informational video.
- As Best Friends expands its “I Read to the Animals” program, the organization seeks volunteers to serve as educational ambassadors who will be trained to offer the program in their own communities. Interested volunteers should contact Best Friends at 435-644-2001 Ext. 4632.
- For more information about the Education Ambassador Program, click here.
Photo of English mastiff by Ocean Yamada as seen on Wikimedia.org