Teachers aren\u2019t always aware when a student in class is homeless
or living in an orphanage. And that child, as you can imagine, may feel embarrassed to share his or her story with classmates for fear of being ostracized.<\/p>\n
What helps that child feel more comfortable? A rescue dog sharing his story first.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The kids) can relate to the journey of the rescue pet,\u201d says Jayne Vitale, director of education and youth programs at North Shore Animal League America<\/a>, whose program uses the natural affinity between kids and pets to teach social emotional learning skills. \u201cLook across the classroom; we are all mixed breeds,\u201d she says of the lessons she directs in 4,000 schools and libraries nationwide, using rescue dogs as a model of resilience and hope. Programs like Mutt-i-grees<\/a> exist around the country and emphasize the reciprocal relationship between kids and dogs. Through learning how to be responsible and considerate toward a pet, kids can strengthen their own ability to connect with others and be an ambassador for kind animal \u2014 and human \u2014 behavior.<\/p>\n Every child can get involved in some way, as long as it\u2019s age appropriate. \u201cThe way kids treat animals is oftentimes how they will treat people,\u201d says Lisa, who started the program in 2017 and partners with hundreds of schools and shelters nationwide.<\/p>\n Lisa\u2019s books, which are part of a larger kit with a little stuffed Cooper dog, are used for schools\u2019 anti-bullying and kindness weeks, as a gift to families who adopt shelter dogs and community outreach programs.<\/p>\n Related: Kids Reading to Shelter Dogs Help Both Gain Confidence<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They teach young kids why we always keep a dog\u2019s collar on, not to poke a sleeping dog and to let a dog eat uninterrupted.<\/p>\n \u201cThe underlying theme is kindness to all,\u201d she says. \u201cIf we can get these kids at these young ages to be kind and compassionate and responsible, as they get older, they will become compassionate and responsible adults.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2018, Lisa founded National Rescue Dog Day on May 20, which has helped to take the stigma off shelter dogs, mainly by inviting people, and kids, to share photos of their rescues on social media (so far there are 45,000 hashtags dedicated to the day).<\/p>\n The programs aren\u2019t designed as a one-time lesson; they\u2019re meant to stick with the kids long term and supply them with enough confidence as they grow that they\u2019ll continue to encourage others in their communities to help.<\/p>\n In southern Utah, Best Friends Animal Society<\/a> launched a junior ambassador\u2019s program in 2019 to give kids an avenue to share their love of animals.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a great way for them to take what they learned home to their own communities,\u201d says Jess Carter, acting manager to the visitor and welcome center.<\/p>\n Related: Take a Look Inside the Best Friends Internship Program<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Eight to 13-year-olds can visit the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a refuge to nearly 1,600 homeless animals, volunteer their time to help care for and play with the animals, and learn what it takes to save these animals\u2019 lives. <\/p>\n At the end of the tour, kids take an oath to promote animal welfare by finding new ways to get involved in their own communities, and they receive a junior ambassador\u2019s badge.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to empower kids and let them know they can make a difference in the lives of animals,\u201d Jess says. \u201cThey will be the ones fighting for the animals in the future.\u201d\u2004<\/p>\n Bring these programs to your child\u2019s school. They can be incorporated into the school\u2019s existing curriculum. For more information or to download resources, visit education.muttigrees.org <\/a>and tailsthatteach.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Familiarize your kids with the local shelter. The stigma against adoption dissipates as kids interact with rescue pets, become emotionally attached to them and empathize with their life stories.<\/p>\n Assign your kids age-appropriate pet responsibilities at home. Giving your kids a sense of what it feels like to have another living creature rely on them teaches commitment and builds self-confidence.<\/p>\n The post Kids + Animals = Kindness and Compassion<\/a> by Lauren Katims<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post Kids + Animals = Kindness and Compassion<\/a> by Lauren Katims<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n Teachers aren\u2019t always aware when a student in class is homeless What helps that child feel more comfortable? A rescue dog sharing his story first.<\/p>\n \u201c(The kids) can relate to the journey of the rescue pet,\u201d says Jayne Vitale, director of education and youth programs at North Shore Animal League America<\/a>, whose program uses the natural affinity between kids and pets to teach social emotional learning skills. \u201cLook across the classroom; we are all mixed breeds,\u201d she says of the lessons she directs in 4,000 schools and libraries nationwide, using rescue dogs as a model of resilience and hope. Programs like Mutt-i-grees<\/a> exist around the country and emphasize the reciprocal relationship between kids and dogs. Through learning how to be responsible and considerate toward a pet, kids can strengthen their own ability to connect with others and be an ambassador for kind animal \u2014 and human \u2014 behavior.<\/p>\n Every child can get involved in some way, as long as it\u2019s age appropriate. \u201cThe way kids treat animals is oftentimes how they will treat people,\u201d says Lisa, who started the program in 2017 and partners with hundreds of schools and shelters nationwide.<\/p>\n Lisa\u2019s books, which are part of a larger kit with a little stuffed Cooper dog, are used for schools\u2019 anti-bullying and kindness weeks, as a gift to families who adopt shelter dogs and community outreach programs.<\/p>\n Related: Kids Reading to Shelter Dogs Help Both Gain Confidence<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They teach young kids why we always keep a dog\u2019s collar on, not to poke a sleeping dog and to let a dog eat uninterrupted.<\/p>\n \u201cThe underlying theme is kindness to all,\u201d she says. \u201cIf we can get these kids at these young ages to be kind and compassionate and responsible, as they get older, they will become compassionate and responsible adults.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2018, Lisa founded National Rescue Dog Day on May 20, which has helped to take the stigma off shelter dogs, mainly by inviting people, and kids, to share photos of their rescues on social media (so far there are 45,000 hashtags dedicated to the day).<\/p>\n The programs aren\u2019t designed as a one-time lesson; they\u2019re meant to stick with the kids long term and supply them with enough confidence as they grow that they\u2019ll continue to encourage others in their communities to help.<\/p>\n In southern Utah, Best Friends Animal Society<\/a> launched a junior ambassador\u2019s program in 2019 to give kids an avenue to share their love of animals.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a great way for them to take what they learned home to their own communities,\u201d says Jess Carter, acting manager to the visitor and welcome center.<\/p>\n Related: Take a Look Inside the Best Friends Internship Program<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Eight to 13-year-olds can visit the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a refuge to nearly 1,600 homeless animals, volunteer their time to help care for and play with the animals, and learn what it takes to save these animals\u2019 lives. <\/p>\n At the end of the tour, kids take an oath to promote animal welfare by finding new ways to get involved in their own communities, and they receive a junior ambassador\u2019s badge.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to empower kids and let them know they can make a difference in the lives of animals,\u201d Jess says. \u201cThey will be the ones fighting for the animals in the future.\u201d\u2004<\/p>\n Bring these programs to your child\u2019s school. They can be incorporated into the school\u2019s existing curriculum. For more information or to download resources, visit education.muttigrees.org <\/a>and tailsthatteach.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Familiarize your kids with the local shelter. The stigma against adoption dissipates as kids interact with rescue pets, become emotionally attached to them and empathize with their life stories.<\/p>\n Assign your kids age-appropriate pet responsibilities at home. Giving your kids a sense of what it feels like to have another living creature rely on them teaches commitment and builds self-confidence.<\/p>\n The post Kids + Animals = Kindness and Compassion<\/a> by Lauren Katims<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
Jayne runs the New York-based shelter\u2019s Mutt-i-grees program, a curriculum developed by Yale University for pre-K to high school aged-kids. Many children, especially those with autism, can identify feelings in dogs better than in people.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/20190706_111009-600x600.png\")
Giving and getting help
<\/h3>\n
That\u2019s the premise behind Lisa Wiehebrink\u2019s books, Love Me Gently<\/em> and Gray Whiskers<\/em>, written about her rescue dog, Cooper, which she eventually used as the framework for her nonprofit Tails That Teach<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Coop-and-Me-600x864.png\")
<\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/2008_ChloeCook-600x403.png\")
Empowering kids to spread the empathy message
<\/h3>\n#PawsPawsForThisCause<\/h3>\n
or living in an orphanage. And that child, as you can imagine, may feel embarrassed to share his or her story with classmates for fear of being ostracized.<\/p>\n
Jayne runs the New York-based shelter\u2019s Mutt-i-grees program, a curriculum developed by Yale University for pre-K to high school aged-kids. Many children, especially those with autism, can identify feelings in dogs better than in people.<\/p>\nGiving and getting help
<\/h3>\n
That\u2019s the premise behind Lisa Wiehebrink\u2019s books, Love Me Gently<\/em> and Gray Whiskers<\/em>, written about her rescue dog, Cooper, which she eventually used as the framework for her nonprofit Tails That Teach<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\nEmpowering kids to spread the empathy message
<\/h3>\n#PawsPawsForThisCause<\/h3>\n