Christine Peterson, Telegram & Gazette: WORCESTER — NEADS dogs are always willing to lend a helping paw, or in this case, their adorable, floppy ears to help girls improve their reading skills.

Two highly-trained NEADS dogs visited Girls Inc. on Providence Street to kick off the organization’s one-of-a-kind summer reading initiative Thursday.

The dogs met with girls in second and third grades from 10 to 11 a.m. to serve as an audience while the girls practiced reading out loud. Full story