TUSTIN Twice a month, the Tustin Library gets a special visit from a basset hound.
Wally, a trained therapy dog, visits the library with its trainer, Sue Reynolds, at 3 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Children and parents take turns reading to the dog.
This week, about 20 people visited Wally. The library has been averaging 15 to 20 people each visit, said Children's Librarian Mary Pezzetti. The program has been running for about two months now.
A box of easy reader books, both fiction and nonfiction, is kept nearby in the children's section during Wally's visits so that everyone will have something to read, she said.
"The purpose of reading to therapy dogs is it's a great way for kids who may struggle with reading aloud or are very conscious of reading aloud, for them to feel very comfortable," Pezzetti said. "It's also a chance for kids to become accustomed to dogs. That basset hound is the sweetest thing."
The Tustin Library is at 345 E. Main St. Information: 714-544-7725 or web.ocpl.org
Contact the writer: 714-796-7949 or ejames@ocregister.com
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