Santa Barbara County Animal Services shared a post on its Facebook page announcing the expansion of a program that gets young people involved in volunteering and socializing the animals at county shelters. A teenager named Allegra, whose parents were unable to adopt a dog for her, began visiting the Santa Maria shelter regularly, so the staff there invited her to join in a new program.
The program is called B.A.R.K. 4 Life, which stands for Books, Animals, Reading, and Kids. Allegra sat and read aloud to a small, brown Chihuahua that was snappy and scared of staff. With a few minutes of reading, and with the help of some treats, the little dog was up close and relaxed with the young volunteer.
B.A.R.K. 4 Life was recently introduced at the Santa Maria shelter, and county Animal Services hopes to expand the program during the summer to help kids with reading and the animals there with socializing. More information is available at the Santa Maria Animal Shelter, 549 W. Foster Road, Santa Maria, or at 934-6119.
