Spot Says, "Read Me a Book"

Lisa Hurst had a special place in her heart for small children and furry companions. The Alamo native was an animal activist, aspired to be a child counselor and loved being a mom to her 3-year-old son.

But Hurst's life ended when she died of brain cancer two years ago Thursday. She was 38.

Her mother, Martha Anthony, and aunt, Bonnie Boswell, wanted to honor Hurst's dual love of animals and children in one gesture. Thus, in the fall of 2009, "Paws to Read — Lisa's Legacy" was born.

The weekly program at the Clayton Community Library gives children in grades 1 through 5 a chance to show off their reading skills to dogs. Its purpose is to encourage a love of reading in a stress-free environment.

"We are so pleased about how it's going," said Boswell, who's a Clayton resident. "For some students, reading out loud in the classroom can be difficult. But we have received so many testimonials from parents about how the program has increased their child's confidence when reading."

The library hosts back-to-back "Paws to Read" sessions on Tuesdays: the first session runs from 4 to 4:25 p.m. and the second from 4:35 to 5 p.m.

Students sit on the floor next to a dog and its owner, and pop open a book. The dogs wear vests with "Paws to Read" on one side and "Lisa's Legacy" on the other. This past week, four dogs listened to stories and both sessions were full.

Most of the time, the dogs lie next to their young readerS, sometimes sniffing around, sometimes sitting up to look around the room, sometimes falling asleep.

Faith Taylor volunteers her time and brings Annie, her Jack Russell terrier, to the "Paws to Read" program.

"I like having the dog being with different people. I want [Annie] to be a therapy dog and I think this helps, but I just enjoy sharing her with the kids," Taylor said.

Dick Brisbin, owner of a black Labrador named Tyson, said the program is beneficial to both the dogs and children.

"It's good for the dog to be around kids and the kids seem to really enjoy it," he said. "I think it's a win-win situation and it makes me feel like I accomplished something during the day."

Reading to Tyson on Tuesday was 7-year-old Rochelle Cloven, who read about 25 pages from Penny the Pony Fairy.

"I like reading and I like dogs a lot," Rochelle said. "It's really, really fun for me."

Boswell said they want to expand and are hoping to bring Paws to Read to the Concord Library soon.

If you would like to have your dog considered for "Paws to Read" or want more information about the program, call Bonnie Boswell at 673-3545 or Martha Anthony at 838-7241.