TODAY: “Twice a month, Sting visits a Minnesota library so that young kids can read to him as part of a program called Paws to Read. He’s participated for the last two years.”It’s meant to be a fun environment,” Ann Wahlstrom, children’s librarian at the Ramsey County Library in White Bear Lake, located about 20 miles northeast from Minneapolis, told TODAY. “To give kids a fun, nonthreatening place where they can practice their reading skills to a dog.”  Sting’s visits usually last about an hour, during which time three kids get 20 minutes each with him. But that’s not what happened during Sting’s most recent Paws to Read session last week. “Unfortunately nobody signed up to read to Sting at the White Bear Lake library tonight,” Sting’s owner, John Muellner, posted to Facebook on Feb. 7. He included some photos of Sting looking lonely and forlorn, and urged anyone who might know “a 4 to 8 yr old who would like to read to a dog” to “please contact the White Bear Lake library by phone.” It’s been an extremely busy few days since. The library’s phone has been ringing off the hook with folks from all over the country who are desperate to connect with, and cheer up, Sting. “People are asking if we could hold the phone to Sting’s ear so they could read to him,” Wahlstrom said. “The whole staff of a Petco in California called to say they love Sting. It’s just amazing, the outpouring.”

• Think about all the children, parents, seniors and of course their companion animals, to whom you may read – it is a delightful experience, especially when done frequently. All who participate, benefit – And remember, Reading Is Fundamental.