Pet Club
That RBARI's mission is to support, train, nurture, and love dogs and cats while they await their forever homes is well known. The less well-known aspect of RBARI's mission is "humane education." RBARI's humane education staff probably won't greet you at the door of the shelter; they are out in schools in Bergen and other nearby counties, teaching age-appropriate lessons on how properly to love and care for animals. RBARI is helping to ensure that the young people who will grow up to be the next generation of animal owners will know about the benefits of spaying/neutering, why cats should not be declawed, and why it's important to brush your dog's teeth, as well as the importance of obedience training. Mahoney (left) and some friends have been helping with a special kind of humane education at Clearview School.
After giving a humane education program at Clearview School, one of RBARI’s humane educators (and volunteer trainers) believed that she could take humane ed to the next level by giving the students “hands on” experience with the dogs. Now, on Thursday afternoons, a group of students at the school eagerly awaits the arrival of the RBARI dogs they are learning to train. The students are members of the “Pet Club.” The interactive format encourages students to ask questions and start discussions about their experiences with dogs, and has proven to be a very effective teaching modality. It’s also a great hit with students, teachers, volunteers, and dogs! Murphy (right), like Mahoney, is a regular in the Clearview program, and loves going.
Each Clearview session runs eight weeks. The program has been running with great success for over a year, and will last through the end of the school year in June. The trainer and her assistants bring four to seven dogs from RBARI to the school. Each dog is introduced, and his/her personality described, before a demonstration of several training techniques for the students to employ. The eight students then break into pairs, each pair working with a dog they choose (and who is a good fit for them). Initially, a few of the students are a little hesitant about approaching the dogs. A few are very excited, hugging and stroking the dogs, and a few just want to hold and cradle the puppies, like Rosalie (to the left), who has already been adopted from RBARI.
After some encouragement and additional demonstration, the students start to approach the dogs as “trainers,” beginning to use the techniques they have learned. The students' excitement when the dog masters a behavior is obvious; sometimes it’s expressed by squeals and clapping, other times by a slight smile on the student's face. By the end of the session, the students have gained a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of attachment to “their” dog, which we hope will grow into a compassionate attitude towards others, both animals and people. The interaction of dog and student also has the effect of students asking questions and initiating discussions on topics like dog behavior, dog fighting, and animal abuse, all of which are important topics in humane education.
The Clearview dogs experience positive interactions with young people and learn to take direction from the students in the Pet Club. This socializing exposure will help Mahoney and Murphy, when they are adopted, to adapt to their new lives in their forever homes—as it helped Devin, Farley, Miss Eleven, and Rowdy, other RBARI alums who participated (pictured below). The volunteers have a great time observing the interactions of students and dogs, and take great satisfaction in watching both progress!
