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Friday, October 28, 2011

K9 Literacy...Changing Lives Forever!

K9 Literacy...something that will hold a place close to not only mine, but Rocky's heart forever!
My boss, Sherri, told me about this program a few months ago after she had heard all of the stories about Rocky and met him a few times. She told me that many of the members here at CT were involved & it seemed like something that would be great for Rocky. I had wanted to get involved in some type of "Rehabilitation" program with Rocky before, but had never had the chance. She explained that you got paired up with a student and the student read to the child and helped the child read because the dog does not "judge" them so they do not feel any pressure! Of course, I was automatically in & began looking into it. Long story short we got all set up with a babysitter on Friday's, lunch hour adjusted, orientation class taken, and passed the behaviorial assesment test! We were all set to start!

We missed the first one because I was in Nashville, blog post to come soon! So last Friday was our first visit! I learned so much more about what this program was about! You are paired up with a kid and they read to the dog for 30 minutes, & then get to take the dog outside for 15-20 minutes to play. The kid may or may not be a strong reader. It is to boost their confidence in reading or confidence in themselves, or maybe give them more one on one time because they don't recieve it at home, the list can go on! From the minute I met "Chip" (Rocky's little boys nickname to protect him),I was thrilled. "Chip" was shy at first and very timid. For the 45 minutes I was there, I saw this little boy change. He gained confidence in just the short time he spent with Rocky. At first, he walked around with Rocky away from the other kids, by the end of the session he was running with Rocky everywhere and playing with the other kids and laughing! Before we left, Rocky & Chip were in the school with all these kids! Chip was laughing and talking while all the kids enjoyed seeing and petting Rocky!It was a feeling I can't describe to see Rocky helping this little boy! Such a neat Program to be apart of and I am so honored that Rocky and I get to spend this time with Chip and make an impression for a lifetime and something he will always remember!

Today it was a little cooler out, so Rock wore his jacket! Chip wanted to make sure he had it on before we went out!

1 comment:

  1. FABULOUS! What a lucky little boy! I bet he is having a blast and learning a lot! He has a great team behind him! :)

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