Barks & Books program nurtures young readers with aid of canine companions

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Surrounded by young children, McEnroe, a 7 1/2 year-old yellow labrador is pet from nearly all sides at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Every month, the library features a therapy dog for children to read to which helps develop confidence in the young readers. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Sophia Yao, of Montrose, shows McEnroe, a 7 1/2 year-old yellow labrador, pictures from the story she is reading at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Every month, the library features a therapy dog for children to read to which helps develop confidence in the young readers. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Sophia Yao, of Montrose, tries to get the attention of McEnroe, a 7 1/2 year-old yellow labrador, who seemed easily distracted by treats and pets at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Every month, the library features a therapy dog for children to read to which helps develop confidence in the young readers. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Sophia Yao, of Montrose, shows McEnroe, a 7 1/2 year-old yellow labrador, pictures from the book she is reading while the dog’s attention is toward Nikita Shevchenko, 6, of Montrose, at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Every month, the library features a therapy dog for children to read to which helps develop confidence in the young readers. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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McEnroe, a 7 1/2 year-old yellow labrador, surrounded by young children at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Every month, the library features a therapy dog for children to read to which helps develop confidence in the young readers. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Many hands of young children pet McEnroe, a 7 1/2 year-old yellow labrador at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Every month, the library features a therapy dog for children to read to which helps develop confidence in the young readers. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Young children begin to expolore by petting McEnroe, a 7 1/2 year-old yellow labrador at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Every month, the library features a therapy dog for children to read to which helps develop confidence in the young readers. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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McEnroe, a 7 1/2 year-old yellow labrador, looks above at hands with potential pets in them at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Every month, the library features a therapy dog for children to read to which helps develop confidence in the young readers. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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By Kelly Corrigan

July 19, 2016 6:39 PM PT

When dogs come to visit the Montrose Library, they come to listen to stories read by children.

On Tuesday afternoon, McEnroe, a 7-year-old yellow labrador retriever, listened to kids take turns reading sentences from “Hello Hippo, Goodbye Bird” and “Chooky-Doodle-Doo,” among other titles.

The Barks & Books program is run by the Pasadena Humane Society, which coordinates with libraries in Glendale and beyond to bring trained therapy dogs and their volunteer owners to serve as listeners for young readers.

The program currently is presented at 17 libraries in nine cities served by the Pasadena Humane Society, including at Pacific Park and Library Connection @ Adams Square in Glendale.

Every time children huddle around a dog at Montrose Library, Rubina Markosyan, the children’s librarian, notices their confidence in reading increases because, unlike some adults, a dog doesn’t make any corrections to a child’s reading.

Eight children sat near McEnroe on Tuesday.

“What’s great is they know the dog is not going to make fun of them,” she said. “They don’t feel intimidated as they would reading to an adult. They don’t feel like they’ll be judged.”

Also, some children who may be fearful of dogs overcome that fear, Markosyan said.

They also shower the dogs who visit with affection. “I had one child do a puppet show for the dog,” she added.

Children often show up at their local library to read to the dogs again and again, said Kimberly Tripp, a coordinator for humane education programs for the Pasadena Humane Society.

“You can see the change — the confidence builds over time,” she said.

The humane society began the Barks & Books program in the 1990s, Tripp said.

La Crescenta resident Linda Hall has been bringing McEnroe to the Montrose Library for three years.

Before that, she took the dog to hospitals, where he sat with adult and child patients every week. Now that he’s retired, he visits the Montrose Library every other month.

His favorite book, according to his card, which Hall gave to each young reader, is “Gaston” by Kelly DiPucchio.

The Barks & Books program is presented every third Tuesday of the month at the Montrose Library, located at 2465 Honolulu Ave.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/29KvCHv.

Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan