Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 30, 1993 TAG: 9306030094
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN L. DAVIS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"People began acknowledging that we have a moral obligation to protect those that cannot speak for themselves, and that included animals and children," said Michael Kaufmann, humane education coordinator for the American Humane Association.
For a long time, child protection and animal abuse fit under the same umbrella.
In fact, "The first child protection case in this country was tried under animal abuse laws because we didn't have any child protection laws at that time," Kaufmann said.
Eventually, the child protection issue split off. Many changes came about as the public was made more aware of child abuse and neglect. Now, it's the animals' turn.
Humane education advocates say they are seeing a resurgence of interest in their cause.
"The time is right for this kind of thinking," Kaufmann said. "It has a lot to do with awareness raised by the environmental movement and the animal rights movement."
Humane education is already mandatory in schools in 13 states, but Virginia isn't one of them.
Sharon Martin, an animal control officer for the city of Salem, would like to see that change.
Martin visits one or more Salem school or civic groups every week, giving talks and showing films about pet overpopulation, dog bite prevention, the importance of tags and vaccinations and proper pet care and training.
"Children are my future pet owners," Martin says. "I can't change an adult's mind, but I can work with children and teach them how to become responsible owners. I try to let them know I'm on their side, that I'm here to protect them and their animals."
The Roanoke Valley SPCA also has a humane educator who speaks to school and civic groups.
Martin believes her job as an animal control officer gives her humane education classes an extra edge. "Being on the road is what makes me so effective because I see the abuse and neglect out there and deal with it every day."
Martin has proposed a pilot program for humane education in Salem schools. Such a program, she believes, is important not only to groom upcoming generations to be better pet owners, but also to make educators aware of the recognized links between animal cruelty and human violence.
"Most serial killers start out abusing animals," Martin said.
Recent studies on how animals fit into the cycle of family violence have shown that pets often become targets of abuse when the abuser wants to threaten or "teach a lesson to" another family member.
"We've only begun to understand the cyclical nature of abuse," Kaufmann.
But most teachers aren't trained to recognize animal abuse as a symptom of a dysfunctional family.
"I want to hold workshops for teachers and train them on what to look for," she said.
Martin, who's been an animal control officer for nine years, got involved in humane education about six years ago, after her daughter's teacher invited Martin to speak to a class about animals.
Much animal cruelty stems simply from ignorance and from misguided notions about pet training and behavior, Martin said.
She encourages people to read books, particularly before they get a pet so they can choose one that suits their lifestyle.
"Most kids in my classes know what breed their dog is, but only one in 50 knows what class that breed is in or what it was bred to do," Martin said.
Martin sought training through the Humane Society of the United States, the American Humane Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Humane and Environmental Education.
There, she learned about the hand puppets, Rags and Fluffy, she uses to teach children how to properly approach and handle pets without getting bitten.
"Tuck your hand and let Rags sniff it first," she demonstrated recently to a South Salem Elementary School class. "Never pet Rags when he's with his toy or eating. If he wants to play with you, he'll bring his toy and drop it in front of you."
For preschoolers through third-grade pupils, Martin gives her "Sam lesson," a story about the trials Sam the beagle goes through as a lost dog. To illustrate the story, Martin arranges felt, stick-on cutouts on a storyboard as the lesson progresses. Martin made her Sam board after seeing a Humane Society version.
After children participate in a certain number of classes, Martin presents them with a Certificate of Appreciation. She also hands out coloring books and other humane literature. Her humane education budget is $500 a year.
Films are among the most expensive materials used. One she shows to fifth-graders and up is "Charlie, the Dog Nobody Wanted," about the sad plight of a dog dumped by the roadside after its owner becomes unemployed.
From the fourth grade on, Martin discusses euthanasia, how and why it's done. But she rarely has to bring up the subject herself.
"One always asks, `Do you have to kill animals?' " she said.
"I never lie to them. I say, `Yes, because somebody wasn't a responsible pet owner.' I tell them sometimes there are worse things than death. I tell them that if they have to give up a pet to never, never let anyone talk them into dumping it by the side of the road, because it will be more frightening and more painful for the animal."
Humane education teaches much more than just responsible pet ownership, Martin said. It teaches respect for all life.
The humane movement's long-held position is that a society's treatment of its animals is reflected in its treatment of human beings. And children trained to be just and kind to animals will extend those character-building attributes to their neighbors when they grow up.
by CNB