Children, puppies team up for read-in

Maggie Van Kirk didn’t know what she was in for when she sat down with 3-month old puppy Topper.

The little white pit bull with spots on his ears showed off his split personality, one moment laying patiently at her feet and the next going in for a smooch when she stopped reading.

Maggie, 10, was one of dozens of kids that Topper encouraged to keep going Friday at the first Radio Park Elementary Read-In, which invited three puppies and a senior dog from Centre County PAWS. The event raised funds for literacy programs at the school.

“He’s just adorable,” Maggie said. “It is actually really comforting.”

Most dogs that help kids read are trained for the job, but not the four that Centre County PAWS volunteer Donna Clapper brought.

The kids seemed okay with that.

“There is a lot of research that when kids read to dogs it really excites them about reading and encourages them to go at their own pace,” Clapper said. “A dog won’t show them when they’re wrong, but they will accept them as they are.”

Anny Xu, 9, spent 10 minutes working on her English with Burgermeister, who is nearly identical to his brother Topper, at her side. She gave in to temptation, put down her book and pet his head, which seemed almost too big for his body.

The benefits, Clapper and Radio Park Elementary Principal Zac Wynkoop said, are two-fold.

“Some of the things I’ve seen through PAWS is that it helps with the socialization of the animals,” Wynkoop said. “But also it just provides a very calm and nurturing environment for students to read and enjoy that as well.”

It also is a teaching moment about pit bulls, Clapper said.

Anna Suvchuk, while learning bigger words like dictionary, also got to know 9-year old pit bull mix Ali.

“It shows parents and children, too, who are the next generation to adopt, that pit bulls are wonderful, wonderful pets to adopt,” Clapper said.

Like other dogs, pit bulls don’t always sit still.

Sam Walker, 9, found that out when he read to and fended off kisses from 3-month-old Yukon Cornelius.

“He’s made it a little harder, but he’s still pretty cool,” Sam said.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Children, puppies team up for read-in."