Drew is team 2175 in the READ Program - Finally!

Our sweet, LAZY boy Drew is finally a Reading Education Assistance Dog. His tag came in the mail on Friday. We are still working at getting into the local library 2 miles from our house for their special reading program.

We have one more shadow visit left where Drew will be the listener and then he'll be able to go out on his own to find children challenged with reading aloud to classmates. I sat in on the first shadow visit where I just observed. It's very uplifting to see the children read while keeping a hand on the dog for reassurance. After the session, the trainer relayed to me that one of the readers (who is 10 and reads at a 1st grade level) had improved tremendously. He couldn't sit for even 2 minutes in the first session, but was now sitting and reading for 15 minutes, and hoping to get more time to read a little longer!

Drew is a knucklehead at times - forever foraging to eat something that might kill him. He is just like a little child, always pushing the boundaries and needing reminding of what the rules are. I think that trait will make him a great reading partner. He's not perfect; their reading skills won't be perfect, so there will be an instant bond between child and dog!