Sit. Stay. Read!
Tales for Tails
Purr-fect your Reading Skills With A Furry Friend
What is Tales for Tails?
Tales for Tails helps young kids and teens build confidence in their reading while providing comfort and enrichment to our shelter pets.
Through Tales for Tails, presented by Rutter’s Children’s Charities, young readers (ages 17 and under) visit our shelter and read aloud to our shelter pets, including dogs, cats, and small animals, at no cost. This program allows the animals to experience the presence of a child, an opportunity they may not have had before. Whether you’re practicing reading skills or just want to share a good story, our animals love the attention!
Paws and Relax with a Good Book
How often are Tales for Tails events held?
Our Tales for Tails program is held on the fourth Sunday of every month from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
Once you arrive, you will have a towel or blanket to sit on and a selection of books if you do not bring your own. Our Tales for Tails Team will ask parents/guardians to sign a liability waiver if their child has not participated in the program in the past and will review all safety guidelines. Participants will then be directed toward the animals participating in the program that day.
2025 Dates
- March 23
- April 27
- May 25
- June 22
- July 27
- August 24
- September 28
- October 26
- November 23
- December 28
Sign Up for Tales for Tails
Our Tales for Tails events will be announced on our Facebook page and via our email list, two dates at a time. To allow other children to participate in the program, we ask that participants only sign up for one of the two dates provided. These events fill up quickly and are first-come, first-served.
Open your heart and home
What If We Fall In Love with One of the Animals We Read To?
This is the BEST possible scenario! At the York County SPCA, we are all about making the right love connection between an adopter and pet.
If you fall in love with an animal, you can apply to adopt them by filling out an adoption questionnaire. If you are not in a position to adopt at the moment, you can always apply to foster them until they find a forever home by completing a foster questionnaire. The York County SPCA assumes all financial responsibility for animals enrolled in our foster program, making it affordable for all people.
