SAN DIEGO — It's called the summer slide. That’s when students significantly forget things they learned during the school year over summer break.
Rancho Coastal Humane Society invites kids to read to the animals to keep their reading skills sharp.
CBS 8 met 11-year-old Lydia in the kitten room reading “Captain Underpants.” She says, “I thought they would like it because it's super funny, and it's fun to read too.”
It’s wonderful Lydia is having fun. She just finished 4th grade and has dyslexia. Reading is not her favorite subject. But you’d never know that because she reads to these kittens so calmly and evenly. They think she’s perfectly marvelous.
“You don't have somebody to tell you that you're wrong. You get to have fun while you're doing it.” She says she picked “Captain Underpants” to read to the animals intentionally. She says, “I thought they would like it because it’s super funny," Lydia said.
Lydia’s mom, Janelle Martella, signed her up for Rancho Coastal’s Happy Tales reading program. She wants to encourage her to read without the anxiety or pressure she might feel at school.
“She has a love for animals. She comes here; she's relaxed. She's comfortable, and she reads for about an hour straight, which also benefits the animals. I think the lack of anxiety or criticism in her reading fluency makes her feel comfortable, and she reads well when she's here. I couldn’t be happier; I'm so proud of her. Not only in her reading ability but that she wants to give back to these animals," Martella said.
In the Happy Tales Reading Program, kids ages 6-12 can come to the shelter and read to adoptable cats, dogs, and even rabbits once a month.
We met six ½-year-old Duncan in the bunny room. He says, “This is my first time here; maybe that's why they're into it.”
Duncan was a little shy to read in front of cameras. First, he just started reading this year in Kindergarten.
But once his mom reminded him he was there for the bunny, he opened his book and started without hesitation. The bunny room is a no-judgment zone. And Rupert, the rabbit, is captivated. When Duncan started reading, Rupert walked to the side of his cage in front of Duncan and just stared at him. Rupert seemed to love the attention. Duncan says he picked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to read to the animals because “They’re animals. They’re animals, and this is animals,” he said.
Watching all the reading sessions, you won’t know who is happier, the kids or their furry new friends.
“They calm down; they're at ease. They get closer to her. Sometimes when we start, they're in at the back of the pen, nervous and anxious. As she starts reading, they come closer; they lay down," Martella said.
A 4-year-old Husky named Phee is ready for adoption. She came and laid down and eventually fell asleep lying to Lydia read. Like all shelter animals, we may be able to help them, but they help us more.
Adopt the pets in this story
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