At Johnson County libraries, kids practice their reading with eager listeners: Dogs

As kids flock to libraries for summer reading programs, one of the most popular programs is Read to a Dog. Children get ten minutes to read a book of their choice to a therapy dog — or sometimes cat — trained to listen and watch calmly and without judgment.
Franny Zender, 7, wore a pink summer dress and matching pink headband to pull back her unbrushed blond hair, hair that tumbled down her back as if it had just dried after a day at the pool. Folding her legs beneath her, she opened a thin paperback entitled "When Carrot Met Cookie" and adjusted the book so the gray standard poodle next to her could see the pictures.

“From the moment they met, Carrot liked Cookie,” Zender read softly. “Cookie was sweet, warm and cheerfully chipper!”