No barks about it, reading is canine fun

Saturday's Going to the Dogs event also features adoptable pets

| The New Mexican

6/19/2009 - 6/21/09

Reading might be fundamental, but for some kids, it takes a back seat to other activities.

That's until they meet Max, Carol Kellerman's big, white, fluffy Great Pyrenees. Whatever inhibition a child might have about reading aloud quickly dissipates as the two settle in for a story.

"Max doesn't judge," Kellerman says. "He doesn't correct them or ask them to repeat a sentence. He just listens."

The retired librarian has been leading a quiet reading revolution in area schools for the past several years with the Reading to Rover program. Kellerman says children build confidence and skills by reading aloud to Max and other dogs in the program. "It's been wonderful," she says.

Since December, Kellerman and other reading teams have been part of Santa Fe Shelter & Humane Society's Pet Outreach program. There are four teams actively in schools and a fifth waiting assignment.

A sampling of the program will be offered Saturday at a community event called Going to the Dogs at the Vista Grande Library in Eldorado. The event, sponsored by the Eldorado Dog Club, starts at 10 a.m. with a talk on humane education by the shelter's Tom Alexander and a children's story time, featuring some of the dogs in the Reading to Rover program.

A multishelter adoption event will take place after the reading, along with refreshments and live entertainment, said club member Randi Gerzofsky-Bildner.

Max, who is too fond of other dogs, won't be able to make the event, but others in the program will be on hand to listen to stories. All breeds are welcome in the program, which requires solid basic obedience skills and lots of canine patience.

The Reading to Rover program shows how skilled and valuable dogs can be in the community, says Gerzofsky-Bildner, something the club's happy to promote.

The group's adoption events have also been successful. A dog show and adoption event last month found homes for 10 animals, despite a sudden storm that unleashed wind and rain.

The club has invited several shelters and rescue groups to Saturday's event, she said, but anyone is welcome to bring an animal that might need a home. The event takes place from noon to 3 p.m. in the library's parking lot.

Those interested in learning more about the Reading to Rover program, which is seeking more volunteers, may call the shelter at 983-4309, ext. 128. Or stop by Saturday and talk to the volunteers.