We feel that our children are important to the future of animal welfare. Our shelters and streets are full of abandoned pets. By teaching children the importance of pet responsibility, we feel the children, the community, and the animals all benefit from humane education. PAWS 4 Learning gives students the tools they need to learn compassion for others and helps them grow into responsible pet owners.
All third grade students in the Ouachita Parish School System are receiving the monthly newsletter KIND News, courtesy of PAWS of NE Louisiana. KIND News is published by NAHEE (the National Association of Humane and Environmental Education), and emphasizes concepts of compassion, respect, and responsibility.
Included in this newsletter are articles, short fiction, activities, and projects that teach children simple, everyday ways to show kindness to animals, people, and the environment. By students receiving these on a monthly basis, we keep humane education on the forefront instilling good values and grooming good citizens. It is our hope after they read their newsletter in class, they will share them at home with their parents and siblings thus educating the entire family.
In conjunction with KIND News, each month our PAWS Therapy teams visit third grade classrooms to discuss newsletter articles and give children visual humane education. Having a certified therapy dog in the classroom is a great and safe way to demonstrate the appropriate way to approach a dog and teach children the basic needs of our pets. Students experience hands on training showing them the proper ways to feed, groom, and fill their pets emotional and medical needs. They learn how to identify danger signs from pets and what to do if a strange dog threatens. They learn how they can reduce pet overpopulation by adopting from their local animal shelters and spaying and neutering their pets.
Humane Education is very important in the United States and Pet Overpopulation is a growing concern for everyone. Our goal is to make this subject fun and informative for children so they will learn to be compassionate, responsible pet owners.