Children are some of the most natural animal enthusiasts in the world. Most kids seem to have an innate appreciation for all creatures large and small, and are greatly interested in learning about animals and how to care for them. It seems intuitive to imagine that instituting pet care education programs in grade schools would be a positive step in strengthening animal rights awareness in the forthcoming generations.
Pet Care Programs
These kinds of programs would begin by teaching pet facts and pet care information during regular class time for grade school students. Teachers could invite volunteers from the Humane Society or local animal shelters to speak about rescue dogs and cats, acquaint children with the realities of the threats that animals face today. In-class subject matter could include:
- Statistics of how many dogs and cats are abandoned or on the streets in the U.S.
- A list of diseases, dangers and harms that affect these abandoned animals.
- Caring for pets and providing their needs (being spayed/neutered, vaccinations, vet visits, food, water, socialization, etc.)
- Basic training requirements for domestic cats or dogs & why this is important.
- The differences between buying a purebred animal or adopting one from shelters.
The animal shelter volunteers would ideally be accompanied by 2 or 3 reliable adult dogs that the children could observe in action, pet, play with and learn how to handle with care.
Benefits of Pet Care Education
- This kind of experience would provide supervised exposure to animals for children who may not otherwise have such an opportunity.
- Children will learn about the realities that abandoned pets or rescued pets face, which will better inform them on how to be a responsible pet owner in the future.
- They will learn proper handling of cats and dogs, practicing patience and gentleness.
- Children will learn that their actions cause reactions and have consequences.
- Bringing shelter animals and rescue pets into a classroom would be a positive way for the animals to be socialized, and to receive affection from an eager audience.
If animal shelters were to partner with local grade schools to educate children about rescued pets, then the animals would have an opportunity to receive love and affection on a rotating basis, giving each pet in the rescue home a chance to be played with. This would benefit the dogs by increasing their social skills, and would also be an excellent opportunity for children to learn about how to care for pets and make responsible decisions. If more of these kinds of beneficial programs were in place, the future generations would be better equipped to provide solutions for many of the animal problems that exist in America today.