The Eugene Public Library hosts “Dog Tale Time” every Saturday afternoon for children in K-6 grades. The program offers children the opportunity to develop reading skills before the patient audience of therapy dogs. The dogs and their handlers are members of People and Animals Who Serve, PAAWS for short, a local volunteer organization that pairs therapy dogs with community programs. During free 15-minute reading sessions, children (some of whom struggle with developmental disabilities) have the unique experience to enjoy a devoted listener in their newfound furry friends, along with the dogs’ supportive handlers who provide occasional reading input and suggestions.
Now in its eighth year of operation, Dog Tale Time will continue at the downtown Eugene library every Saturday from 2-3:15 p.m. until mid-December.
Gillian Foster, 6, reads “Are You Ready To Play Outside” as poodle Tessa dozes on Foster’s knee. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
Julia Pashak, 7, reads to Hula the Chihuahua and her owner Julie Randolph. Randolph rescued Hula after her friends discovered the dog covered in mud, wandering on a deserted Hawaiian freeway. Since being brought stateside, Hula, now 5, has thrived in her duties as a therapy animal through the PAAWS program. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
Golden Retriever Brinkley, 11, and her owner Joanne Alba greet another younger reader during Dog Tale Times at the Eugene public library. Brinkley and Alba have worked together in hospitals, hospice care, and after-school reading programs since Brinkley was 2. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
Children illustrate their favorite dog pictures between readings during Dog Tale Time. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
Maia Hart-Smith, 5, reads to Brinkley as owner Joanne Alba looks on. Hart-Smith has participated in Dog Tale Times for 2 years, sharpening her reading skills with the rotation of dogs provided by People And Animals Who Serve, or PAAWS for short. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
Nicholas Garbett, 3, reads “Coyote Dreams” to Rickey the pug during his first experience with Dog Tale Time. Garbett, who recently moved to Eugene from Southeast Portland, doesn’t have a dog of his own at home. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
One of the program’s many young readers admires a playful Hula as she spins and shakes her fur after finishing a bone. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)
Lyla White, 6, embraces Brinkley after reading “Biscuit & the Little Pup” to her canine friend. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
Rickey the pug is a rests on Subria Rodgers’s knee while Rodgers, 9, reads a bedtime story. After Rickey received reconstructive surgery to correct a cleft palate from birth, his tongue now hangs out several extra inches. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
Poodle Tessa, 4, rests with owner Linda Albi in between readings. The pair have participated in the Eugene library’s weekly Dog Tale Time educational therapy reading program for 3 years together. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
Brinkley, 11, receives a leg up from her owner Joanne Alba as the pair load into their car after another Dog Tale Time-filled Saturday at the Eugene library. Brinkley and Alba have worked together in hospitals, hospice care, and after-school reading programs since Brinkley was 2, though Brinkley now can use an extra hand at times in her older age. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)
