ARC Educational Program with Diplomat Elementary a Success

In its mission to adopt, shelter and educate the community on the humane treatment of animals, ARC is proud to continue the tradition of helping to EDUCATE the community through its “Caring for Critters” program with Diplomat Elementary School in Cape Coral, FL.  Studies have shown that exposure to animals at an early age can help prevent the mistreatment and neglect of animals in adult years.  Education comes from parents, teachers and caring adults.

Every Friday for six weeks, two volunteers from the shelter bring an animal to Diplomat Elementary School to be featured on the morning news and to visit several classrooms. Through our unique educational program, each classroom is provided with a picture of a “virtual pet”. The kids “virtually adopt” this pet by learning about proper treatment, care and feeding of the animal. The program culminates with a visit from an actual resident of ARC.

“We hope that by teaching the children how to treat and approach animals that are not their own, we will prevent neglect and injury.” Lisa Morris, ARC’s Volunteer Coordinator explained.

Assistant Principal Erin Groeneveld indicated that since the program began, an average of three to five families from the school visit the Animal Refuge Center and adopt an animal each year or tour the facility just to get a real glimpse of their “virtual pet”.

“Pebbles”, an 8-year-old American Staffordshire Chocolate Lab mix, got to come along this time to visit the children at the school.  Pebbles was introduced to the students and got a very warm welcome (and even a few pats on the head).  Diplomat Elementary donated dog food, treats, toys, towels, sheets, beds and cat food that had been collected over five weeks to ARC.  The center also received $150 from the teachers of Diplomat Elementary who donated $2 to wear jeans on a Friday.

Animal abuse often starts at an early age.  Respect for living things comes through parents, teachers and social situations.  Through consistent, positive exposure to animals, children are taught that abuse is wrong, and the child discontinues the abusive behavior.

Childhood is a critical time, and if any one of those corrective elements is missing, that child is high risk for potentially becoming more abusive later on. It is imperative that you reinforce positive relationships with animals with your children.
Read more: Pet-Abuse.Com – Giving Children the Chance to Care http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/prevent_abuse/children.php#ixzz1FMRsjOb6

What to Do if Your Child is Abusing Animals

The most important thing you can do if you know or suspect that a child is being cruel to animals is to talk to them. If a child has been intentionally cruel to an animal, you should be concerned, and should take action quickly to explain to them that the behavior is wrong and hurtful. You should NEVER ignore or make light of the abuse. Animal cruelty is NEVER a “boys will be boys” situation – they will NOT “grow out of it” if you do not react to their cruelty. Immediate intervention is required, no matter what the level of abuse is.

Trap-Neuter-Return

Established 11 years ago to raise awareness about feral cats and Trap-Neuter-Return, National Feral Cat Day is being celebrated today across the US. Thousands of Americans are showing their compassion for cats in communities from coast to coast! The amazing outpouring of enthusiasm, support, and compassion from around the country demonstrates loudly and… clearly that Americans want humane treatment for cats.

With your help, our communities are seeing a decline in unwanted litters being born in the wild, an increase in managed feral colonies that are healthy and colony numbers that are stabilizing. Most important of all TNR is resulting in a marked decrease in euthanasia at Lee County Domestic Animal Services.

Thank you to all that are making a difference in the treatment of feral cats. And remember, if that little face peering out from the bushes has the tip of its ear notched it is part of the TNR program and is already sterilized.

For more information on feral cats click here!