Saicharan Jayaram, 2, of Herndon, is smaller than Bernese mountain dogs Prince Boo Boo and Epic. The dogs are part of the Read to the Dog Tales to Tails program of the Fairfax County Public Library. Photo by Abigail Constantino/The Connection
Children played games, ate treats and made cards for their favorite canine reading buddy, Prince Boo Boo, on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the City of Fairfax Regional Library.
The 9-year-old Bernese mountain dog, known officially in the American Kennel Club as Brightwaters Bruiser McWoof, basked in the attention like a celebrity but he was very nearly outshone by his 7-month-old son Epic.
Prince Boo Boo is the name given to him by the young readers who come on Saturday mornings for the Read to the Dog Tales to Tails program sponsored by the Fairfax County Public libraries.
Almost 300 children have read to Prince Boo Boo since his owner Sarah Ward, of Falls Church, started bringing him last November. “He loves it. He can’t wait for Saturday morning to come.”
But the children also cannot wait to play with Prince Boo Boo, just as soon as they get to know him. He is bigger than some of them.
“At first, they won’t get near him, but by the end, they are helping younger kids read, taking bows [after reading], reading across the room,” said Ward. Prince Boo Boo’s size also makes him a comfortable bean bag chair and prop for books.
“He likes to give me a laptop, actually sitting on my lap,” said Harry Debeer, 7, of Fairfax, who likes to read the Biscuit books by Alyssa Satin Capucilli.
Library information assistant Karen Jakl said that reading to the dogs is way for children to practice and build reading skills. “A dog is non-judgmental and laidback,” she said.
“They’re cute, they’re fuzzy. It’s fun,” said Logan Jessup, 7, of Fairfax.
For Lulu Harris, 8, of Fairfax, “They don’t correct me,” is her favorite part about reading to the dogs. Her favorite books to read to them is the Chicken Squad series by Doreen Cronin.
The Read to the Dog Tales to Tails program is a system-wide, on-going event at the Fairfax County Public libraries. To find out when and where, visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/events/.