WAYNESBORO, Pa. – Everyone wins when volunteers visit Antietam Humane Society to participate in its Shelter Buddies reading program.
“It gives the buddies a sense of belonging and has a calming effect on the animals,” according to Connie Francis of Waynesboro, who founded the initiative in 2018 and continues to train volunteers.
Buddies select a book and then head to the kennel for their reading session, Francis said. “The dogs are usually barking to get their attention, and when they sit down in front of their door and start reading, within a matter of minutes, the dog realizes the kids are talking to them.
“They calm down and eventually lay down. It happens almost all the time. It’s fun to watch. And it’s not just the dog in that cage, but the dogs on either side settle down too. They realize they (the volunteers) are not staring at them, they are talking to them,” added Francis.
The concept took shape in 2017, “when we took a dog from the shelter to Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library for the kids to read to,” Francis explained. “At the time we had a brand new shelter building with a lot of room, and that’s when it started. You could see more animals at the shelter and at the library, you could only see one,” she noted.
“The idea came from the Humane Society of Missouri – our program models theirs,” Francis said. Eager to spread the word, Francis, a retired teacher, visited schools in the Waynesboro Area School District and neighboring districts “to get as many kids interested as possible. We also distributed pamphlets because the information wasn’t on our website at the time.”
The program continues to expand with up to 765 buddies registered. “They’re not all active, but in August 2025, there were an average of 35 visits a month. Volunteers saw 325 animals – dogs, cats and whoever else was there,” she noted.
Volunteers range in age from 18 months to 16 years, according to Francis. Younger siblings sit on the laps of readers outside the dog cages and are free to roam the cat room, get the cats out of their cages, play with them and sit and hold them, while the older sibling reads, she added. “Our cat adoptions have gone crazy. They (volunteers) bring their parents, who at first may not have any intention of adopting … and it just happens. That’s not why we started it, but what a benefit.”
The program is funded annually with a grant, written by Francis, from the Nora Roberts Foundation, as well as donations. “I got a starting grant from the Foundation for Enhancing Communities to help buy T-shirts and prizes for the kids, anything that I was paying for myself. Now the Nora Roberts Foundation comes through for us every year.”
The four components of the Shelter Buddies mission statement are: to socialize with the animals, enhance children’s love of reading, build community service awareness and increase awareness of non-profit operations.
Once volunteers are trained, “they can come and go as they please during shelter hours,” Francis said. “The majority of our volunteers are from Waynesboro, but people come from Hagerstown, Washington, D.C., McConnellsburg, Marysville and anywhere in between – we cover a large area.
“We had people from D.C. who were looking for a program because there’s nothing there, and they spent the whole day at the shelter. That’s what makes it special, and that’s why we have so many participants.
Every October, for the past six years, fifth-graders from Shalom Christian Academy come to the shelter for their community service project and some join the program.”
Kids who participated when the program started are young adults now, Francis noted, “but once they are a shelter buddy, they’re always a shelter buddy. They are always welcome at the shelter. It’s a lifelong connection – makes them feel part of the shelter and that’s important.” Adult volunteer training is available to 16-year-olds and older, she added.
More information is available on the Shelter Buddies Facebook page.
Anyone interested in joining the program may email Francis at:
