Book Buddies Program at Ukiah Animal Care Services
By Sage Mountainfire
School will soon be out for the summer and you may be looking for something fun and educational for you and your children to do. Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Animal Care Services (ACS) has a wonderful summer program to offer. It’s called Book Buddies. This program provides a place for parents and children to spend time together while helping to socialize cats and helps children improve and maintain their reading skills through the summer. Win, win, win!!
ACS has created a special reading nook to the air conditioned cat adoption area at the Ukiah Animal Shelter. The space is complete with books, comfortable seating, cushions and cats who love to be read to.
Children, who are first graders and older, are welcome to come with their parent to read to a cat. Studies have shown remarkable growth in reading skills when children read to an animal. The non-judgmental presence of an animal helps children relax and enjoy reading. Even beginning readers can hold a book and “tell a story” while petting a cat. The purrs the child will hear will relax them and add important human contact to a cat’s experience while they live at the shelter.
The shelter is open Tuesday’s through Saturday’s, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday’s. The Shelter is located at 298 Plant Road in Ukiah.
For more information, please call 707-467-6453. Please ask for Amy and she will help you set up a time to begin reading to a cat!