Eight & 322/Eight & 27
[email protected]
  • Eight & 322
  • Sports
  • Arts
    • Artist resources
  • The Nature of Things
  • Eight & 27
  • News From You
  • Purchase Photos
  • The Photo Dude
  • Editorial
  • About
  • Community Photojournalism presentation

Therapy dog program at Franklin Public Library helps kids read and relax

2/6/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Joanna McElhattan reads to her dog, Gus, and Hailey Gibson in her lap in the Franklin Library on Saturday.
Picture
Story and photographs by Sydney Herdle

​A group of therapy dogs are helping make the “ruff” times better for area kids through a new reading program at the Franklin Public Library.
 
The Paws 4 A Cause program kicked off Saturday morning as part of the Franklin on Ice festival. A trio of dogs and their owners visited the library’s children’s section to visit with young readers, including Karen Dahle with Tally, Amanda Reisinger with Abbey and Joanna McElhattan with Gus.
 
​McElhattan said the Paws 4 A Cause folks are happy to be back holding therapy dog sessions. Although the dogs and their handlers normally stop by schools, universities, nursing homes and other community events they have been hampered because of the COVID pandemic.
 
​Recently they were able to help at local UPMC children’s COVID-19 vaccine clinics and now resumed the library children's reading program.
    
More sessions of the program are planned at the library: Wednesday afternoons on February 9, 23 and March 9 from 5 to 6 p.m. and Saturday mornings on February 19 and March 5 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
​
​Franklin Public Library children’s coordinator Tracy Hilton said any kids who come to all six programs will receive a certificate and a prize.
 
To learn more about the program, visit pawsvenango.com or oilregionlibraries.org.   
 
The reading program is among the items included on the Eight & 322 Events Calendar, where readers can check out a variety of events happening throughout the region.

Picture
John Ryan Gibson reads a Boxcar Children book to therapy dog Abbey and her owner, Amanda Reisinger, in the Franklin Library on Monday.
Picture
Six-year-old Makenzie Young of Clarion pets Tally, a five-year-old Samoyed, in the Franklin Library on Saturday. Young laughed after realizing her fluffy white coat matched Tally's fur.
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Sponsors of Eight & 322
    Visit them on Facebook.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Follow them on Facebbok.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Picture

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly