He Logged 100 Hours Reading to Shelter Animals — Hopper Was His Favorite

Quick Take

• One dog spent nearly 400 days in a shelter without a single adoption, but an 11-year-old's unusual habit ended up changing everything. Hopper's adoption story →
• The book you choose matters far less than how you read it.
• The Pawsitive Reading program was designed to help dogs, but volunteers are walking away with an unexpected benefit of their own. See the Pawsitive Reading program →
• After reading to his very first dog, Nehemiah cried leaving the shelter, and that reaction reveals exactly why this program works. Nehemiah's emotional first visit →

Every once in a while, we’re lucky to see heartwarming stories that highlight the kindness of people. One example is this recent story about 11-year-old Nehemiah Turner, who participated in a volunteer program at a humane society. The program, called Pawsitive Reading, lets volunteers read to dogs to better socialize them for adoption. This Instagram post by @goodnews_movement discusses this beautiful story. Read on to learn more.

Reading to Dogs

This heartwarming story took place in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Jacksonville Humane Society. Humane societies often struggle to properly socialize dogs with humans and therefore rely on volunteers. The Jacksonville Humane Society introduced a creative approach by launching the Pawsitive Reading program, which allows children to read to dogs in hopes of socializing them for future adoption. The program has garnered more than 2,000 participants, and 11-year-old Nehemiah Turner stood out amongst the rest. Nehemiah began volunteering about two years ago and quickly became passionate about it. After reading to his first dog, Auggie, he cried when he had to leave and wanted to return. In the roughly two years since then, Nehemiah has accumulated over 100 hours of volunteer work. One dog in particular, Hopper, quickly became a favorite, and Nehemiah read to him during nearly every visit. After months of regular reading sessions with Nehemiah, Hopper was finally adopted after nearly 400 days at the shelter.

The program encourages volunteers to bring any book they like and emphasizes that it’s not the content that’s important, but the way the story is read. Since many shelters are loud and overstimulating, dogs can quickly become stressed around unfamiliar people, lowering their chances at adoption. Spending one-on-one time with the dogs and reading to them helps the animals become more comfortable interacting with humans. Hopper is a great example, as he slowly became more relaxed around people during Nehemiah’s continuous visits. The program isn’t just great for dogs; it’s also beneficial for the volunteers. It helps volunteers improve their reading skills and confidence in speaking, while also demonstrating the benefits of volunteering. The story has quickly resonated with audiences. While reading to a dog may seem like a simple act, it has a significant impact.