Four-footed classmate helps kids read

Paula Kyrios was born loving dogs. The self-proclaimed “dog geek” is the owner of Canine to Five, a doggy day care and boarding kennel near Richmond, Va., where she and her team of 18 employees care for and exercise dogs while their owners are at work.

“It’s very similar to a children’s day care,” she explains. “They are dropped off in the morning, we play, we nap, have lunch and play again. Then their moms and dads come by to pick them up and take them home.”

After working at other dog care centers, Kyrios decided to start her own business about six years ago. She quickly found a great location near the prosperous west end of Richmond‑‑a large warehouse and yard with plenty of space for kennels, grooming rooms and both indoor and outdoor play areas. Today, she cares for between 30-50 dogs a day. Her clients include people who don’t want to leave their “best buddy” home alone for emotional reasons, and those who didn’t realize the energy and exercise needs of the breed they chose. “Some people like to provide the exercise, but they can’t always do a long, vigorous walk,” she says.

Kyrios offers boarding as well and keeps dogs rescued from the street or the pound until foster care can be arranged. One rescued dog, a shaggy black chow mix named Roamy, found his way into Kyrios’ heart and has been a member of her family for five years. He’s also the star of her “Reading with Rover” program, which helps schoolchildren overcome their fear of reading.

Once a week, Kyrios takes Roamy to visit Johnson Elementary School, where he helps children who are struggling with their reading. One by one, the youngsters take turns reading to Roamy, while he lies beside them and rests his head on their laps. “If you are called to read in class and you stumble, other kids might get impatient waiting for you. Children may feel that the teacher and their classmates are judging them. But dogs do not judge. Reading with a dog makes it very special and very fun,” Kyrios says.

Roamy looks forward to his reading date each week and paws at the reading room door before Kyrios can reach for the handle, she says. “He was born to read. He loves it. Some of the first-graders think he can read, so they write him letters.”

Rescued, mixed-breed dogs like Roamy make the best pets, Kyrios says. She encourages anyone thinking of getting a dog to visit the local pound or SPCA to find a great family pet while also saving one of the millions of dogs that are killed in shelters each year. “With a mixed-breed dog, you can avoid some of the health and behavior issues that are common in many purebred dogs,” she says. “When you purchase a puppy, you don’t know what you’re getting in terms of personality and energy level. If you go to the pound and rescue an adult or young adult dog, you can match your personality and energy level, and you save a life.”

Paula Kyrios lives in Glen Allen, Va. Her son, Michael, is a UD freshman majoring in history education. He has worked with his mother at Canine to Five since he was 13 years old.

—Sharon Huss Roat, AS ’87