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On Wednesday, the  stopped by the Nitro Public Library to read with Ready.

"Reading with Ready" is a program to teach children what to do in case they ever get lost or go missing.

The program is centered on Ready, a 12-year-old Labrador and Weimaraner mix, who spent the first 10 years of his life performing search-and-rescue missions with his owner, Stephanie Justice. Last October, Ready retired from his K9 duties but continues to spread his story with children in the Mountain State.

'It's who we are'

In 2019, Stephanie and her husband, Nathan, of Spencer, Roane County, started K9 Search and Rescue. Since then, the couple has grown their nonprofit to include a team of about 30 volunteers and 15 to 20 dogs.

In college, Stephanie Justice studied criminal justice at the University of Phoenix, where she first fell in love with K9 search-and-rescue initiatives.Ìý

“I saw an ad in a paper years ago for search and rescue," she said. "Once I got into it, it just became a passion of mine. It’s something I think I was put here to do."

Stephanie Justice first got Ready when he was 7 weeks old, and she trained him as a search-and-rescue dog. It took Ready two years to be certified for search-and-rescue operations, which is the average for dogs.

Since Ready retired, Justice has carried on his legacy by training two additional dogs, a male border collie named Zulu, and Foxtrot, a female border collie, which is still a puppy. Justice is training Foxtrot to be a cadaver dog, specialized in searching for human remains.

As a collective organization, K9 Search and Rescue has found more than a dozen missing people — including three rescued by Ready.Ìý

"All the training we put in, all the sweat and tears, all the heartaches ... everything," Nathan Justice said. "If it's just one person, it was well worth it. It's just what we do, and it's who we are."

Reading with Ready

Now, the couple travels to West Virginia schools and libraries to teach children how to stay safe if they ever become lost, especially in the woods. Outside of the work they do with their organization, both work full-time jobs.

At schools and libraries, through storytime sessions and the soft rustle of turning pages, Ready continues his mission — no longer in the woods or on a search trail but by teaching kids how to stay safe.

Through Stephanie Justice and Ready's guidance, children learn practical survival tips, including:

• Avoid soda; drink water, instead
• Choose high-protein foods over junk food
• Carry a whistle to signal for help, instead of screaming
• Stay in one place to make it easier for search dogs to find you
• Use trash bags to create a makeshift shelter

On her library visits, Justice reads a children's book titled "," which not only teaches children how to be found if they become lost but also that there are dogs trained to help find them.Ìý

"It talks about the vest [rescue dogs] wear — which is exactly like the vest our dogs wear — the bells they carry," she said. "It explains how the dogs will take their scent and find it, and then [how you should] stay put because that’s the most important thing when you're lost. And that’s exactly what we do.�

Justice said her favorite part of reading to the children is hearing what questions they ask and helping kids navigate those uncomfortable conversations, like "what if you don't find me?"

Along with Reading with Ready, the organization also has a , which teaches a similar lesson. Additionally, the couple works with the forensic program at West Virginia University by bringing in their cadaver dogs and teaching lessons regarding the work they do.