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NHES Presents “Kindness in the Classroom” in South Carolina - National Humane Education Society

DSCN5555Unlike other challenges of modern times, the solutions to end the suffering and needless deaths of companion animals have already been determined. If widely practiced, a societal commitment to the closure of puppy mills, spay and neuter, pet adoptions, and humane pet care would stop the suffering and deaths of millions of animals every year. Youth who are now in elementary school will be the citizens to implement these solutions over the next 10-20 years. Unfortunately, too few youth are receiving the education necessary to help them end animal cruelty and unnecessary euthanasia in the next generation.

For example, currently in the United States…
  • 11,000 dogs and cats are killed every day due to overcrowded animal shelters. Despite this, many elementary school students cannot identify the differences between an animal shelter and a pet store. 
     
  • Of the 4.5 million people who are bitten by dogs each year, most are children under the age of 12 years. (Source:  Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite this, few schools teach students the safe way to interact with pets.
     
  • For decades, experts in the fields of law enforcement and psychiatry have acknowledged that cruelty to animals is among the most reliable predictors of later violence against humans. Nonetheless, teaching kindness to animals is only mentioned in the education codes of 9 states.
Through NHES’ free Kindness in the Classroom outreach initiative, NHES is teaming up with teachers and guidance counselors across the nation to help youth understand how to create a more humane world now and in the future. In February, NHES was pleased to partner with local therapy dog handler Kathy Perrich and her dog Malaain in a presentation to 600 elementary students at Catawba Trail Elementary in Elgin, South Carolina. Students learned about the needs and feelings of animals, the importance of animal adoption, and the tenets of responsible animal ownership.
 
To request a free Kindness in the Classroom program at your school, please visit our website or send an email to education@nhes.org.
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