Seven-year-old Ezra Koerber is on all fours, crawling around a carpeted rug with her reading partner, Flash.
Her black shirt is covered in Flash’s yellow fur.
“I’m turning into a dog,” she said.
The second grader’s favorite books are part of a series about a dog named Biscuit, whose yellow coat and playfulness resemble Flash.
Over their past four visits, Ezra said her reading has improved to “really good.”
“He’s a really nice doggie,” she said.
Teton County Pet Partners is the local chapter of a national organization that visits 20 locations in Teton County, such as hospitals, nursing homes and schools. Kelly Chadwick leads the nonprofit supporting the Ruff Readers after-school program and said pet therapy is for all ages.
“Anyone that comes in contact with a pet partners therapy animal team will notice a difference,” she said.
Britt Baker, Flash’s owner, volunteers at the Teton County program. She typically brings her high-school-aged children to help out. She said they had some struggles with reading at a young age.
“Sometimes school days can be really long and it’s nice to have a moment where you can be a little silly with a dog at the end of the day,” Baker said.
The goal is to improve youth reading skills. The same goal the Wyoming State Legislature is set to consider soon in a draft bill that would require additional literacy training for teachers and screening students to diagnose reading difficulties like dyslexia.
The program meets twice a month at the Teton County Library. The next afternoon meeting is Dec. 2.
