A Kids' Guide to Interacting with Dogs

I am the library director at a very small public library.  This year's Summer Reading program theme is "Every Hero has a Story."  We go for four weeks, and each week will be a different type of hero - superheroes, community heroes, animal heroes, and how to be a hero yourself.  I love trying to integrate my two passions - reading and animal rescue - and I'm excited to have the opportunity to do so for this program. 

For the "Animal Hero" week, I am trying to track someone down who has a certified therapy dog who could come in for a visit.  I know the kids would love taking turns petting the dog and asking all sorts of questions about its training.  I am a bit nervous, though, about the kids interacting with the dog.  We generally only have about 10 kids who attend regularly, ranging in age from preschool to 5th grade, but there's a good chance we could have more this year.  I am worried about grabby hands, loud and excited yelling, and a nervous dog. 

I plan to use these amazing infographics to go over the dos and don'ts of interacting with animals.  I found them through Winding Ridge Lane, but they are the work of the late, great Sophia Yin. 

 



I'm sure you've seen these before, but aren't they amazing?  Any other suggestions for bringing a dog around children? 

 

I'm also excited for the "Being a Hero" week, which will focus mostly on positive personality traits and doing various "good deeds".  For one of the crafts, we will be making cat toys, which will then be donated to a local animal shelter.  If you have any other ideas, I am more than open to them!  I'm always looking for ways to get kids interested in both reading and volunteering!