Every Monday afternoon, a four-legged friend enters Bayfield Elementary School.

He or she is from a group of dogs selected from the La Plata County Humane Society for their patience and temperament.

Then third-graders read to them.

Literally.

During a recent visit, Stubs, a new Labrador mix in the program, got to hear students read pages from Matilda by Roald Dahl, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George and Cat Magic by Holly Webb.

He also got some petting and a belly rub.

Stubs may have received his name for a gimpy stub of a paw that he gamely walks on.

Ken Hibbard, the Humane Society volunteer who brought Stubs to school, said he might be fit with a prosthetic foot, so he can get around better. Stubs is about 4 years old.

Hibbard said the program gets dogs out of the kennels and provides them with some needed socialization.

Another plus is they might find a home – some reading dogs have been adopted by the readers’ families, along with staff members and a principal.

The dogs visit Bayfield Elementary every Monday, Ignacio Elementary every Wednesday and also go to Needham, Park and Animas Valley schools in Durango, along with DeNier Youth Services Center.

Kyra Caselles, Helen Rodstrom and Andrew Perkins got to read to Stubs in Bayfield. The only downside to Stubs’ visit was when he stood up to shake during his reading time and he hit a child in the face with his big tail, but the kids laughed it off.

The children said they enjoyed the opportunity to read to an attentive animal.

The students enjoy the extra attention from the dog and visitor, and it gives children who don’t have a pet some time with a companion animal, Hibbard said.

He said the idea for the dog reading program came from an article about therapy dogs. Because dogs come and go at the Humane Society, getting therapy training and certification doesn’t work; but just going out and spending time in schools is beneficial for both the students and dogs, Hibbard said.