A partnership between a Glasgow animal shelter and a local elementary school seeks to teach students how to safely care for animals and show compassion for those with, or without, four legs.
During a recent Friday afternoon at the shelter, 10-month-old Snoopy lounged in his bed at the Barren River Animal Welfare Association, or BRAWA, as Highland Elementary School student Greer Benefield read a book to him. Snoopy looked slightly confused but grateful for the attention. Down the line of cages, other students were reading to Bean, China, Roxy and Rocket.
Some of the dogs wagged their tails happily at their new human friends, while others shied away in disinterest.
The students are known as “Animal Ambassadors” and are members of Highland Elementary's Talent Pool program. It’s a way for the school’s Gifted and Talented students to engage with the community and commit time to volunteer service. Molly Taylor volunteers with BRAWA and coordinates the partnership between the school and the shelter. She said getting the students engaged with the shelter is just the first step toward a healthy, lifelong relationship with animals.
"It’s my belief that if you start young with humane education, these children will grow up to be compassionate, loving members of society," Taylor said.
Humane education is a movement that combines human rights, environmental preservation, and animal protection. Taylor said it’s a way to teach compassion and empathy for all living things.
"We need more of that. So hopefully if we teach them young how to be responsible pet owners, how to be compassionate pet owners, then I think they will teach others. They can lead by example and everybody wins."
The Animal Ambassadors program rotates monthly between the students visiting BRAWA and Taylor visiting the school, usually accompanied by at least one furry friend. She teaches the students about proper pet care, how to spot abused animals, and the importance of spaying and neutering pets. Fifth grader Emaline Pike shared some of her new knowledge from the lessons with me.
"We’ve learned that most cats, once they get older, usually turn lactose intolerant. We’ve learned what not to feed your pets. We’ve learned body language and what to do if a dog comes up to you," Pike explained.
The students spend the weeks between the visit counting the days until they get to see the woman they call "Ms. Molly" next. But the real magic for the kids is when they enter the shelter and see the dozens of animals waiting for a friend.
Third grader Leigha Jones brought one of her favorite Dr. Seuss books to read to her four-legged audience. She takes special care to always show the pictures in the book to the animal she’s partnered with.
“Dogs are really interested, they’re observant. So when you show them, like a picture, they’ll try to sniff or look at it," Jones said.
It wasn’t just Leigha showing the pictures to the animals. Most of the students shared the illustrations with their reading partners. Molly Taylor said she thinks the animals enjoy it just as much as the kids.
"I think they love that somebody is focused on just them. And whether they hear the words of the story or care about the words of the story, it really doesn’t matter. They are just so happy that somebody is spending that one on one time with them," Taylor said.
Even if the students or animals don’t realize it, the human-animal interaction provided by the program is preparing the shelter pets for life after they find their "furever home." Vicki Smith, a teacher at Highland Elementary and the head of the Talent Pool program, said the whole point of the program is to help the animals with socialization.
"There’s a lot of noise," Smith said. "But once our children spend a little time with them, it helps calm them down."
Smith said the program is a highlight of the year for many of the students at Highland. She said younger students spend the early years of their elementary school careers waiting in anticipation for the time when they can join the Talent Pool and become Animal Ambassadors themselves.
