Dogs are kids’ best friends and they could do so much more than just hanging out with these tiny humans. If you need examples, here’s one. Did you know that dogs can help anxious children calm their nerves in the blink of an eye?
In Ramsey County, Minnesota, a library called White Bear Lake has come up with one of the best ideas for local kids ever: a reading program that encourages them to read as freely and happily as possible. The program named “Paws to Read” lets young children from 5 to 8 years old read to a friendly therapy dog at the library, isn’t it sweet?
The star of this program is Sting, a retired racing dog who goes viral after spending one evening alone at the White Bear Lake. Sting and his owner John Muellner are no strangers to the lovely program, they have been joining it for years. But it’s not until John shares Sting’s lonesome session on a social network that the greyhound suddenly win the heart of so many people.
“Unfortunately nobody signed up to read to Sting at the White Bear Lake library tonight,” John writes. “If you know of a 4 to 8yr old who would like to read to a dog. Please contact the White Bear Lake library.”
The post immediately draws the attention of countless people across America. After only two days, it already racks up over 85,000 shares and Sting has been booked for several months afterward. People even directly call the library just to make sure Sting is still doing fine.
It’s a little funny that, according to John, Sting’s lonely look is just a small misunderstanding. It’s safe to say the pooch was born that way.
However, what he says doesn’t stop our adorable boy from gaining more and more fans each day, and now John even has to accept video calls from foreign countries like New Zealand, Argentina and Ireland. It’s not like they are not happy about all those kindnesses, but both John and the library staff agree that it would be better if people share their care with other dogs of the same program, or even dogs taking part in similar programs around America.
Please share the heart-warming story of Sting and “Paws to Read” with your loved ones!
H/T: Kare11