Therapy dog brings joy to children and promotes literacy

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - 5-year-old Linus is a bit of a bookworm. This Beagle is encouraging children to get cozy with a book.

FOX 29 Photojournalist Bill Rohrer has the story.

At the Free Library of Philadelphia, 5-year-old Linus the dog is in for a treat. A few times a month, Linus and his owner Christina Bach visit children throughout the city and listen to them read.

"A therapy dog provides comfort, love, support and fun to people when they are sick maybe in the hospital," Christina told FOX 29.

This is all part of One Book One Philadelphia, which is a program that promotes literacy.

"It makes them feel calm and relaxed. It can distract them from the stress of reading, especially where there are a lot of kids around them," Christina explained.

Getting children to sit down for an hour to read may be difficult for adults but the task is no match for Linus. He just wants to hear a good story.

"Over the years watching these kids and their reading skills improve is one of the proudest moments. I think all it took was a dog," said Christina.