Meet a very special dog with an exceptional job! Sting is a volunteer with the “Paws to Read” program.
This extraordinary dog goes weekly to White Bear Lake Library in Minnesota and listens to children ages 4-8 read aloud.
Studies show that when kids read aloud, especially to a calm, captive audience like Sting, they gain confidence. And confident children go on to be stellar readers.
Source: John Mueller, Facebook
But recently, the unthinkable happened. Sting showed up at the library but nobody else did. The photo itself is heartbreaking!
Source: John Mueller, Facebook
John Muellner, Sting’s human, says that February usually is a slower month for the program but for it to be this slow… is CRUSHING.
“I actually knew nobody signed up that afternoon, but Ann the librarian was going to try and drum up some business,” Muellner told The Dodo. “And since it’s fairly close to us, I thought why not just go?”
Muellner may have been prepared for the potentially dismal outcome, but Sting clearly didn’t get the memo.
Source: John Mueller, Facebook
Later that day, Muellner posted about Sting’s “ruff” day on Facebook. What happened next blew Muellner and Sting away!
Unfortunately nobody signed up to read to Sting at the White Bear Lake library tonight. If you know of a 4 to 8yr old…
Posted by John Muellner on Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Muellner’s post went viral, with people sharing and commenting. Some dog lovers were even willing to buy plane tickets to Minnesota just to read him a story.
“It’s been insane,” Muellner said. “I guess these days nothing surprises me with the internet. But the amount and with responses worldwide is a bit astounding.”
Source: John Mueller, Facebook
All the media attention has had a real impact on the program itself. Sting’s schedule is now totally booked with eager little readers for the next few months. Sting is now a superstar!
Now it’s hard to imagine Sting ever being disappointed again! And the best part is he will have the chance to make reading a more magical time for our future generations.
Source: John Mueller, Facebook
“It’s great to see some of them come out of their shell,” Muellner said. “I mean think about it, when’s the last time you read out loud for 20 minutes?”
h/t The Dodo
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