Union Co. elementary students learn to read with the help of puppies

UNION COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - There is a unique program in one Union County elementary school that brings puppies into the classroom.

The four-legged friends are learning to be service dogs and they’re helping the students learn to read.

For students and staff at Kensington Elementary School, it’s cute, comfort and K-9.

“They’re really cute and really calm and it’s really fun because you get to read to them and they just listen,” fourth grader Blake Cruthers said.

This fourth-grade class is one of several stops the pups with “Project 2 Heal” recently made. The school has partnered with the organization out of Waxhaw that trains train service dogs. These pups are helpers in training, but they’re also serving another purpose.

Kensington Elementary Principal Terry Vaughn, Jr. says they’ve been looking to do a similar program for years. The pandemic derailed those plans and it also created new issues - some students fell behind, while others had issues with their mental well-being.

Related: Union County schools focusing on mental health therapy

“When you have 1,066 kids in the building and a single counselor, you can’t do everything you need to do for the mental health of your students and staff. This is our chance to have a calm room with just a few of them and dogs where the whole world kinda slows down, and they’re able to just be a kid for a second and really focus on their reading” Vaughn said.

Cruthers said it’s easier to read to the dogs because they’re not judging. At Kensington Elementary, books and bonding make learning a little less stressful.

“He’s really calm. I like his name, Storm, because it’s a cool name. He likes treats a lot. A lot!” Cruthers said.

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