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Santa Cruz SPCATeaching: Children Compassion For Animals
By Brenna Ewing
The first time I walked into an elementary school classroom, with my teaching partner Lupita, I was extremely nervous. Lupita, on the other hand, was totally at ease and ready to provide the kids with a really good story. When the kids first saw Lupita their expressions showed a mix of interest, excitement, and concern. They were concerned because Lupita is missing one of her legs; although, it doesn’t seem to affect her confidence. She is always ready to share with the children how losing a leg hasn’t slowed her down at all. So the concern on the children’s faces usually melts away once they see how happy and enthusiastic Lupita is. You see, Lupita is a three-legged Chihuahua who was rescued from the streets of Juarez, Mexico. She visits many classrooms with me to teach children not only about dog safety and caring for animals but also about how being “different” is perfectly okay. These kinds of character lessons are included in of all my presentations so that, even though they may be generally about animals, they are easily relatable to people or even the environment. The kids can understand that Lupita has three legs because of people’s neglect. No one provided care for her canine family. Her mother, a stray dog in Juarez, was afflicted with Distemper while she was carrying Lupita. This caused Lupita to be born with a birth defect that left one of her front legs unusable. Before she found her forever home, she would drag her leg on the streets, unable to move it or feel it. Luckily, she was rescued and a veterinarian removed her leg so that she could move around more easily. This surgery happened when she was still a puppy so she has lived most of her life with just three legs. Lupita’s story is a common one heard in shelters and rescues, but in the classroom it seems entirely new and fascinating to the kids. I find that telling an animal’s individual story, such as Lupita’s, is often the best way for children to understand the important part we play in our pets’ lives. Another story that I tell to pre-K through first grade children is Buddy Unchained by Daisy Bix. Buddy is a dog who is neglected by his family and abused by the neighborhood children until he is rescued by a shelter. He is then placed into a new forever home with a caring family. I love this story because it is told from Buddy’s perspective, or what we believe Buddy’s perspective might be in his situation. Even though people are to blame for his unhappy circumstances, he doesn’t understand why such bad things have happened to him. Thus, when a new family comes looking for him he jumps into their arms and their lives without a second thought—forgetting all about the past. And when the second family fulfills his basic needs, he is happy. I explain to the children that our companions look to us to provide them with what they need; therefore, we can directly affect how happy or unhappy the animals become. Providing for their needs is not unlike the way the parents or caregivers do for dependent children. The students and I talk about the things that our animals need from us, and they soon realize that those things are not at all different from what they need themselves. I ask the children how they like to feel. They usually respond, “Happy.” Then I remind them of a simple tenet I learned when I was a child: Treat others as you like to be treated. I tell them that this is true for all living things and is an easy way to remember how to treat animals. My hope is that I will help this next generation to view their pets as family members who deserve to have their needs met just as much as any other member of the family. All of the children I meet love to talk about and hear about animals. Before Lupita and I leave, they want to tell us all about their own animals and how they take care of them. Or they want to hear more about Lupita or the animals that are currently looking for homes at my shelter, the Santa Cruz SPCA. We have piqued their interest, which I hope will keep them thinking about animals and the things they have learned today. Now, when I go onto school campuses with Lupita, I often hear her name being shouted excitedly from across the schoolyard by children who have met her before, maybe even as long as a year ago. It always makes me feel good to know that we are getting through to them as they remember Lupita and her story. Maybe this is the shift in human-animal interactions that I am starting to see in these children, which may someday put me out of a job. Well, a girl can dream can’t she? For more information: |
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