Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

I Believe The Children Are Our Future – Blog The Change

By

I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.  So sang Whitney Houston in The Greatest Love of all.

Whitney was on to something.

If there is any hope at all to change the condition of animal welfare in this country, we have to educate the children.

When I was a kid we got smacked when we needed it, I rarely if ever heard of family services being called.  That began changing toward the end of my high school years.

It was definitely enforced with my own children through the school system and I know it worked, because many times in the heat of an argument if they felt threatened in any way, my children would remind me, “If you hit me, I’m calling the police.”

Trust me, my children were never beaten and the police were never called.  My point is, they were educated about child abuse and understood they had the right to be protected.

I believe it’s possible to teach children the proper way to treat animals.  I see it with my own grandchildren.  They are taught how to behave around and be respectful to my dogs.

My daughter was telling me a story about Tara Costa who was on Biggest Loser a few seasons ago.

Tara was in Atlanta for a speaking engagement.  Somewhere near the airport she saw two dogs running on the highway.  She stopped and managed to grab one, a pit bull mix.  She started driving around looking for an owner, when she came across a group of kids.  The kids said, Hey that’s Bishop and then one kid looked at her and said, Don’t give him back, they fight him.

The long and short of the story is, the dog’s owners came out to the car and Tara noticed Bishop cowering.  She made a split second decision and high-tailed it out of there.  The last I knew Bishop was recovering at a facility in New York and would be up for adoption soon.*

Shortly after I heard this story I saw a blog post on Pittieful Love Lovebug Goes to School.

I knew the two would tie together perfectly for Blog The Change.

Animal education could easily be incorporated into our nations school curriculum.

Just as we have educated children about the dangers of drugs, and abuse, we need to educate them about the proper care and treatment of animals.  When we do that, and start at a young age you will begin to see changes in society.

I think this could be accomplished very easily, by engaging rescue groups in each state to provide local schools with the following:

  • Printing up inexpensive flyers with important phone numbers in the area that provide low-cost spaying and neutering programs.
  • A toll-free hotline where people can report cases of suspected abuse or neglect.
  • Animal welfare programs in our schools where children are educated in the proper treatment of animals.

It may be hard to change adult minds, but children are little sponges, they soak up information.  We just need to make sure they get the right information and they in turn will help to bring about real change.

Big beef’s got nothing on the kids of this nation.  We can ensure our farming is humane.

Dog fighting can become history.  Granted an ugly part of history, but sadly many aspects of history are ugly.

BSL? Won’t know what hit it.  Kids know, it’s not how you look that matters, it’s what in your heart.

Granted, it may take some time, but time and money well spent if we are headed in the right direction.

We’ve seen the proof with so many issues.

I’ve contacted my state representative and have a meeting set-up to discuss this issue.

I’m ready for real change, how about you?  Will you join me?

Just imagine the possibilities.

* (Note, this story took place in June.  At the time I contacted Tara Costa, but she did not respond to my e-mail.  The details of this story are based upon what my daughter told me and what I discovered on Tara’s facebook page.)
Blog the Change


 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Comments

comments

Comments

  2. While it sounds like a good idea, I do not think schools are the place for this. I would much rather kids get involved with doing activities with their pets. It gets them out of the house and interested in more than their phones. AKC and other clubs have made it easy for even mixed breeds to participate in activities.

    The kids around here come out barely able to read and add two numbers together. I would rather see school time used for school rather than social issues. Plus who is to decide what is the proper way to treat an animal? Maybe we all agree that dog fighting is bad, but what about what we do with our dogs? I have been told by a relative that dogs should not be trained for hunt test because it requires some pressure on them (e collar). They should just be house pets. Do you see where I am going with this?

    • I do see where you are going and I appreciate your comment. I think defining the proper way to treat an animal will be challenging in itself, but it’s not impossible.

      I think the fact that children are coming out of school not being able to read or add is significant, it tells me these kids are definitely at risk to find the ‘easy way,’ which could include the lure of dog fighting or exploiting animals in another way.

      Do I wish this didn’t have to be taught in school? Absolutely, but as Tanya pointed out schools have been far more than teaching as of late. I also wish they didn’t have to educate children about child abuse, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual predators, sex education. I could go on and on, I feel it’s the parent’s responsibility to teach their children but sadly in this day and age it doesn’t happen. There are (IMO) a variety of reasons for this, but that is an entire blog post on its own. 🙂

      As usual your comment gives me pause to think and I appreciate that. 🙂

  3. I like where you are going with this. I agree that teaching young children how to properly deal with animals is key to the future state of where we are heading as a pet society. Society right now is lacking education on pet welfare and pet health, sure we have come a long way since 20 years ago but there is still a long way to go. Pet education in the schools is something I am all for, even if they just dedicated a week to pet education where each day they had a someone come in and guest speak. One day a vet, one day someone from a rescue organization, one day a dog trainer…etc.

    • Thanks Jen, I agree, we are very lacking in pet health and welfare, I like the idea of a week dedicated to it, but would be just as happy to see a day of pet health, where rescues, vets, etc could set up booths or tables and children could interact one on one. I would also like to see it offered as extra credit perhaps to volunteer at their local shelter.

  4. I couldn’t agree more. Someone, somewhere needs to start teaching children how to treat 4 legged folks. I wish we could rely on parents to do this, but sadly many parents fall short in terms of meeting their child’s most basic needs, much less teaching manners, compassion and social skills.

    And re Two Brown Dogs’ comment re schools being for school, for better for worse, schools have been about far more than just teaching for a long time now. A friend is a public school teacher is a pretty rough and tumble area in the city and despite trying her best to only teach, the bulk of her day is spent on anything but given the sub par homes most of her kids come from.

    And Jodi, I can’t say how much I applaud you setting up up a meeting with your representative to get the ball rolling. I’m guessing you could probably get a lot of animal welfare organizations behind you in terms of explaining the need for this type of education in schools and stepping up to the plate to help do the educating (for example, a few shelters in and around the city have “caring kids” programs, where once a week kids come in a learn about how to treat companion animals and rescue).

    • Thanks for the support Tanya, you beat me to the punch with your response to 2 Brown Dawgs. I do wish parents could be relied on to provide everything for children, but as you pointed out that is not the case.

      I like the idea of caring kids, I think I may need to do some research about different programs and maybe start with one school. All we need is for someone to set the bar, once the bar is set, well then we challenge them to raise it!!

  5. I absolutely agree with you. I taught yoga at the college level and it was amazing to watch the transformation of some of the kids in just 8 weeks. Kids are definitely sponges and much more open to learning. I know they would enjoy learning more about animals – I have always thought that educating at an early age is the key. Nice post!

    • Thanks Julie, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, just waiting for the right time to present it. I really believe just about any real change will come from the kids. They really are key.

  6. Thanks for this post today Jodi. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, even considering a career change to teaching because of the potential of what you could do for animals. Bishop’s story is wonderful, just made my day.

    I’m pretty sure the Washington Humane Society has a regular humane education program, and you’ve inspired me to look into it again…

    • Oh Kirsten, you would be an amazing teacher. You’ll let us know when you make the change right? 🙂

      Please keep me posted on the Humane Society program, I’m definitely going to have to research some programs before I can really present anything.

  7. You are too right. As they say, what we learn first, we learn best. I am an obsessive recycler and reuser because of all the envinromental education programs I attended as a child. The song “Evergreen” still pops into my head on a regular basis. If we teach children humane education from the beginning, the future will be a lot more optimistic for us all.

    Thanks for sharing such positive stories!

    • Thanks Kristine, you are right, the lessons we learn early in life are the ones we carry with us.

      Recycling is new to me, but I try very hard to recycle as much as I can.

  8. Very good idea for improving animal welfare. I think it’s especially important to get kids who don’t have pets informed through the school system. I like Two Brown Dogs’ idea about encouraging kids with pets to join activities with their animals, but not everyone has the option – not to mention that cats, while grand, aren’t ideal for a romp in the woods. It’s amazing how quickly a kid will pick up on an explanation of why they can’t just grab my dog by the face, or why they should be very gentle when they pet him – they just need to have the information available.

    • Thank you Lexy, I think children will accept and learn almost anything if it is explained properly. I’m glad you are proactive with Gwynn and making sure children understand the best way to interact with him.

    • Thanks Pamela, you are absolutely right and I didn’t even think to include a decrease in bites.

  11. We absolutely agree.
    Our shelter has a very strong Humane Education program and has pioneered a “NO More Bullies” program that goes into public schools and teaches children
    about the humane treatment of pets. And studies have shown the connection between treating pets properly and the correct way to interact with fellow human beings. Perfect post for Blog the Change day.

    • Thank you. I think I need to do some research to see what organizations are doing what, and what’s working. And I agree with you regarding the treatment of pets and people. Mistreating an animal is often times the first step down an ugly road.

  13. Good post Jodi.

    I’m not sure about using the school system full time for this but jen made a good point about doing at least a week of guest speakers. I do agree that teaching children how to respect animals is key to the future of animal welfare.

    • Thanks Misty, personally I feel there are many things taught in our schools that should be taught at home, but that doesn’t seem to be the trend lately.

  14. In our own local rescue, we’ve hosted a community service day for a small confirmation class in which the kids dressed up in silly sunglasses, hats, scarves, long coats, etc. Their goal was to teach the 6 week old pups born to one of our rescued strays that love overcomes fear of foreign objects.

    The kids were so curious, I think they learned more than the pups. They asked serious questions about how the mother dog could have been turned out pregnant in the streets, how much round-the-clock care went into raising her pups, what would happen to the pups now that they were nearly ready for adoption, what adoption meant (and could they adopt one if their mom approved).

    The curiosity is there. The interest is enormous. The opportunity is often missed. To see what unfolded this particular day was uplifting. Kids do need more exposure, no matter the venue – even if parents take their kids to a rescue’s open house. Compassion for animals is an easy sell. Kids and animals are like peanut butter and jelly. We just need to be the binding bread in this love sandwich.

    Thanks so much for Blogging the Change!

    Kim Clune
    Director: http://BetheChangeforAnimals.com
    Blogger: http://thisonewildlife.com

    • Thanks Kim! I love that your rescue is helping to educate children, and I love that they are so receptive to learning, they really can perpetuate change.

  15. Good for those kids, for telling the truth that they knew about that poor dog. I hope he finds a lovely home very soon.

    It kids in an area with dog fighting think it’s bad, that’s very good. It means that crucial link has been broken, and maybe it will fade from that area as that generation comes up. Or I can hope, anyway.

  16. First, I’m obviously singing after reading the title of this post.

    Second, this post is so spot-on. As with any societal change, it starts with the younger generation. I’m more open-minded and tolerant of different lifestyles than people of my parents’ generation – just as they were more open-minded than my grandparents’ generation. Educating our children about breed discrimination and other animal causes at a young age is a brilliant strategy – it’s much easier than undoing ingrained prejudices later.

    Well said all around!

    A.J.
    Be the Change for Animals
    I Still Want More Puppies

    • LOL I should have known you’d be singing. 🙂 I’ve learned a lot of tolerance from my children, and I know my mother has learned some from me. If we can catch them early they will teach their parents.

  17. You are totally, totally, totally on to something. I so agree!

    I wish more schools would do this. I know of a program that goes to schools and brings a dog that had a bad beginning in life so the kids can understand not only how to treat a pet, but also share their own stories of their hard lives.

    When I was a kid, we had an after school program that allowed us to learn more about the proper care of animals. I still remember it to this day, so it obviously had an impact.

    I wonder what a difference it would have made if Michael Vick had been taught dog fighting was wrong? You just never know. As you said, children are like sponges. Not only do they soak it up, ut they share with others – adults and kids.

    Really great post.

    P.S. I am so glad Tara hightailed it out of that neighborhood with that pitbull. He is so lucky.

    • Thanks Mel,

      What a great idea, an after-school program, or extra-credit for volunteering at a local shelter!

      I wonder about Michael Vick too, it was accepted where he grew up, if he’d been told it was wrong at an early age, would it have made a difference?

      I’m glad Tara got Bishop out of there too!

      Thanks for stopping by.

  19. A study done here in Canada suggested that 80% of dog bites in children could be prevented with just 2 HOURS of education. Two measly hours. Even if (like 2 Brown Dogs points out) we all don’t agree on what makes a “good” dog owner, there is much we can teach children about dog safety and how to be dog smart. Learning that animals are living beings with emotions of their own (and how to recognize stress, fear etc) can go a long way to creating empathy and hopefully, a safer brighter future for our dogs and our kids.

    • You guys are progressive!! I really think so many bites/attacks could be prevented if people would just educate themselves.

      We may not agree on all aspects of what makes a good dog owner, but I bet there are some things we would all agree on.

  20. You are so so right!! It is great to hear someone talk commen sense for once!! Please do let us know how the meeting went!!

  22. Good luck with your meeting with the state-peoples Jodi. Hope you can help to make real changes in how us dogs are treated – it sure sounds like you have some great ideas!

  23. I don’t think there’s any one single thing we could do that would be more important, or have a bigger impact, than to involve children with animals and animal welfare. I look forward to your updates on this!

  24. Jodi! This is incredible — on so many levels. First of all, schools are absolutely the place to engage in this type of advocacy. Why wouldn’t they be? Even an annual assembly to address animal treatment issues would be a big and important step. Animal Advocacy groups would undoubtedly throw their full support behind these efforts.

    Is the meeting with state officials on the calendar yet? Let me know how I can help. I worked for public officials for a while and worked as a lobbyist for a while so am happy to help IN ANY WAY I CAN.

    I also will email you with a proposal that I’d like your reaction to/feedback on.

    If we can rally and canvass about healthcare, affordable housing, public funding for particular causes then certainly we can rally and canvass on behalf of the animals that we so love.

    Thank you for bringing my attention to this post and especially to your work!

    • Thanks Sherri, it’s not an official appointment but I am meeting with my State Rep tomorrow night. I have nothing in writing to give him, just my suggestions and my passion. I’m hoping he will point me in the right direction.

      I’m new to this activisim and still testing the waters. It would be great to have the guidance or partnership of someone who ‘knows the ropes.’

      I look forward to reading your proposal. 🙂