Halloween Tale for Two 2026

Celebrate Halloween at the VBSPCA with a spooky Tales for Two! Read to shelter animals and enjoy a fun Halloween craft. About This Event Young readers ages 6–13 are invited to dress up in costume** and spend some time reading with one of our shelter animals and create a fun Halloween-themed craft. Tale for Two is an extension of our Listening Ears Program which pairs a young reader with an animal to make the experience of reading more fun. By bringing the readers to our shelter, our adoptable cats and dogs benefit from the calm, positive presence of a child while receiving valuable enrichment and positive interaction. During this special Halloween session, each registered reader will have 30 minutes to enjoy the experience, consisting of: • 15 minutes of reading with a shelter animal • 15 minutes of a Halloween-themed activity Children may bring their own books or choose one from the VBSPCA Library. Available Time Slots Choose your 30-minute session when you register: • 4:00–4:30 PM • 4:35–5:05 PM Space is limited in each session to ensure calm, safe interactions for our animals. Registration Details When registering, you may select cattery (cats) or kennel (dogs) based on your child's preference for reading to cats or dogs. While we do our best to honor these general preferences, we cannot guarantee a specific animal. Shelter staff will select participating animals based on their needs, temperament, and wellbeing. To reserve a space, there is a minimum donation of $20 per child. • Please note, each child must be accompanied by an adult chaperone at all times. • If two children are attending and will be reading separately, each child must have their own adult chaperone. • Two children may read together in the same animal area with one adult chaperone. When registering, please indicate that the children will be reading together and register both children for the same animal area. Due to space limitations, only registered children and their accompanying adults may attend the session. Unregistered siblings or additional children will not be able to join. We also ask that you arrive 5 minutes before the start of your selected time to allow for the full experience. We are unable to accommodate late arrivals. **Costume Guidelines Costumes are encouraged! To help our shelter animals feel comfortable and safe, please follow these guidelines: • Costumes must be mask-free. • Please leave costume props such as swords, wands, and other accessories at home. • Costumes should allow children to move comfortably and safely around the animals.