A 110-pound black dog named Buddy sat in the center of the children's section of the Dolores Public Library Monday, patiently waiting for his next appointment.
When 9-year-old David Crumpacker walked in, Buddy's tail began to thump.
With a big smile on his face, David got down on his knees to greet the dog, who was lying on the rug. They both looked at each other for a long time and then settled down with a book.
David started reading "Lewis and Clark and Me: A Dog's Tale" to Buddy, who sat up to listen.
"I like reading to Buddy," David said. "A lot of times after school, I'm kind of stressed out and he helps me relieve stress."
David, a fourth-grade student, and other Dolores students are being asked to sign up for a fairly new program at the Dolores Public Library that partners children with Buddy, a 8-year-old Labrador-Great Dane cross, and has them read to him for 15-minute intervals.
"I think it is wonderful," said Kathie Butler, the children's librarian at the Dolores Public Library.
Proponents of the Reading Education Assistance Dogs program say that when children read to dogs it helps make reading fun because dogs help them relax and don't judge them as they read.
"I know that kids who have done it, are very excited about it, and some of the kids that are shy really seem to blossom with him," Butler said.
But for David, who is a very busy kid, he always has time for Buddy.
"I really like him," he said.
For Buddy's owner, Toleda Cluff, the sight is an amazing one.
It was on a snowy day in December of 2012, that Cluff believed that her friendly dog was done-in.
"He was completely paralyzed. He couldn't even lift his head," Cluff said.
Cluff, a certified professional dog trainer, said that her dog was playing outside with another dog when he just fell down.
"He tried to get up once and didn't get up again," she said.
The dog, who stands an impressive 33-inches tall, was rushed to the vet and eventually a neurologist.
Buddy had a fibrocartilaginous embolism, often called a spinal stroke.
"I was told he wouldn't walk again," Cluff said.
But thanks to a Albuquerque veterinarian that specializes in physical therapy and lots of hard work at home, Buddy is walking again.
Today, Buddy wears a boot when he is out and about that helps him walk because he never regained the feeling of his left, front paw from the ankle down. He walks with a pronounced limp, but he walks.
When Buddy was first brought back home, Cluff said she would give the dog physical therapy sessions six times a day. Cluff and her husband rigged a harness over a treadmill so they could walk buddy and get him on the treadmill.
"It was quite the experience getting him on the treadmill," she said.
Throughout the ordeal, Buddy was never in pain Cluff said. And he personality always shined.
"He is so kind," she said.
And that kindness remained, even after the stroke. Something Cluff takes advantage of today.
Not only is Buddy a registered REading Education Assistance Dog, he is also an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen and volunteers with hospice patients.
"He just loves to visit and that is definitely something he can do with his disability," Cluff said.
Cluff found Buddy at the shelter when he was a big puppy.
"He was just sitting there waiting for me," Cluff said.
Cluff is currently working to get Buddy into a stroke rehabilitation center in Farmington as a therapy dog.
How to attend:
Buddy is at the Dolores Public Library on Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m.
Call the library, 882-4127, to sign up for a 15-minute reading spot with Buddy.
Any child that is comfortable with dogs is welcome to attend.
