ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605090050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHY LU STAFF WRITER
LINDA ALBERT'S PASSION for pets is contagious, as she teaches a class of Salem fifth-graders how to treat animals responsibly.
Linda Albert has the cages, tranquilizers and snares to capture stray animals, but the senior Salem animal control officer hardly has the heart to step on a caterpillar.
Albert is the proud owner of five cats and three dogs and is a popular speaker at Salem's elementary and middle schools, where she talks to the children about being humane to animals.
"My job is my passion," Albert said. "Every day, I see an injustice done to an animal, and I want to teach kids to be nicer to animals, which in turn will make people nicer, too. I want to make Salem a kinder place for animals to live."
Through the "Adopt-a-Teacher" program, sponsors can donate $20 a year for one teacher's class to receive a year's subscription to the KIND (Kid's In Nature's Defense) newsletter, which mainly teaches students about animals and their care. The $20 can come from one sponsor or multiple donations.
"It's given me a whole new attitude toward pets," 11-year-old Jonathan Altizer said. "I used to not like pets because of a bad experience I had with a dog when I was younger, but now I like them and I'm actually getting a dog."
Altizer is in Mickey Faville's fifth-grade class, which Albert sponsors, at G.W. Carver Elementary School. She visited the class Wednesday afternoon.
"It's the best investment I've ever made," Albert said. "I think that it's very important to teach our kids responsibility because they are our future pet owners."
Among other things, the children learn when not to approach dogs, why animals need to be spayed and neutered and what are the dangers of presenting pets in a wrapped box on Christmas Day.
"I've learned that there are too many pets in the world, so they all need to be spayed and neutered to control the population," 11-year-old Carlos Matos said. "My favorite part [of the program] is how they tell us about animals and how we can help [animals]."
Classmate Haley Parker agreed.
"I think this is a good way to get kids to do something for animals, but I don't know how to get others to listen to me," she said. "I'd like to write a letter to the president to get people to stop cutting down rain forests so we can get all the oxygen we can get."
The fifth-graders have formed a KIND group that discusses the monthly newsletter, listens to members' animal stories, and decides how to spend money that the group collects through dues and events such as T-shirt sales.
Earlier this year, three classes got together and adopted more than 20 acres of rain forest through T-shirt sales. Faville said she hopes to include more classes to expand the sales next year.
Anyone interested in sponsoring a class for the Adopt-A-Teacher program may send a check or money order to the Salem Animal Shelter, 1301 Indiana St., Salem 24153.
A proposal has been made to the Carver PTA to sponsor all classes for the program next year. Currently, 38 classes in Salem participate in the Adopt-A-Teacher program, and Albert aims to get that up to 100 percent participation.
"I want to teach the kids that if they don't like it, they don't have to hurt it," Albert said. "I want them to know not to step on a caterpillar today, because it may be a butterfly tomorrow."
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. Fifth-graders at G.W. Carverby CNBElementary School laugh as Linda Albert gets her dog Lucy to play
dead. The Salem animal control officer talked to students Wednesday
as part of Be Kind to Animals Week. color.