Partnering with Gulf Coast Humane Society, this research explores the benefits of a local program called Reading with the Dogs. My research team and I are investigating the effect of reading to shelter dogs on children’s and adolescents’ learning, reading skills, empathy development, and their knowledge of what social realities are at play. We are hoping this research project will promote awareness about social problems surrounding shelters as well as innovative programs for learning development. We are using a qualitative semi- structured interview research design in which we are approaching the readers, their parents, and shelter staff on their experiences and we are currently undergoing the approval process with the IRB. We will begin collecting data around April and throughout the summer. We are hoping to find whether this program helps to socialize the dogs, helps children understand overpopulation in shelters, and helps educators learn how to better motivate students to read and learn.