Welcome to the Pawsitively Golden Pen Pals program!  Pawsitively Golden is a free, volunteer-run organization that strives to provide positive communication from a unique perspective while promoting the practice of literacy skills through love and laughter.  It’s a simple pen pal program with a twist!  Letters are written from Golden Retrievers!

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The human-animal bond is truly remarkable, and nowhere is it more evident than with dogs!  Our furry friends provide unconditional love in a purely non-judgmental environment, and they enhance our social and emotional well-being. Even more exciting, they also have a Secret Superpower! They can help people to relieve anxieties and discomfort when trying new things and developing certain skills, including literacy skills.

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Ask any dog lover and they will surely say, “Our dogs definitely understand us and speak to us!”  Some studies show that most dogs can learn up to 165 words, and some can even understand 250 on up!  That’s a pretty good vocabulary, especially considering those words are largely comprised of nouns and verbs.  They definitely understand us!  So how do they speak to us?  Listen carefully, and their barks, yips, howls, and even breathing can tell you their mood and how they feel.  Watch intently, and their actions with their behaviors, ears, eyes, mouth, body stance, even tail speak louder than words.  With just a hint of imagination, we can turn those signals into full-blown communication!  It is this philosophy that is poured into Pawsitively Golden Pen Pals!

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Exchanging letters with Pawsitively Golden Pen Pals can help build reading and writing skills, confidence in the learning process, a willingness to try something different, and build beneficial relationships!