SAVE Shelter Kicks Off New Program To Educate Children on Animal Abuse

Candace Braun

Teaching children good values is important, and SAVE believes teaching children to treat animals in a compassionate way needs to be part of those lessons.

To fulfill this objective, SAVE, Princeton's animal shelter, has started a humane education program to educate area children on the proper treatment of animals.

The program, which started after the shelter received a donation from Carter Rowe Charitable Trust last year, is currently taught to kindergarten through third graders at the Trenton Area YMCA and the Lawrenceville Neighborhood Service Center.

Located on Herrontown Road, SAVE, or the Small Animal Veterinary Endowment, was founded in 1941, and is one of only seven "no-kill" animal shelters in New Jersey.

The facility's new program was started as an effort to prevent the animal abuse that volunteers often see at the shelter from animals that are brought in.

"We were tired of seeing animals brought in that were abused and neglected," said Sara Nicolls, the shelter's executive director.

She said that by teaching children early on that animal abuse is wrong, as children become adults they will be less likely to treat animals in a harmful manner.

"The program addresses 'high needs' children who have had negative experience with animals," said Ms. Nicolls. "There is a very narrow window to teach children empathy."

Last summer SAVE had a pilot program at the Trenton Area YMCA that was very successful, said the director.

"We've had an overwhelming response," said Ms. Nicolls. "Children just love it."

Soon after the pilot program, the shelter hired Dale Maski, a New Jersey-certified teacher in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, to run the classes.

Ms. Maski's curriculum focuses on explaining similarities and differences between humans and animals, and looks at animals' vulnerability to human behavior. Having compassion and empathy for animals is very important, said Ms. Maski.

The program was developed to teach children to have a "reverence for life," said Ms. Nicolls.

"Usually in urban settings, children have limited interaction with animals," she said. "For me, its truly sad to see children jumping back from animals because they don't understand them."

Ms. Nicolls said that one of the donors for the program said she is hoping that this education will stop violence towards animals, such as children throwing rocks at animals for no particular reason.

"[Some children] never learned why that is inappropriate," said Ms. Nicolls.

The program teaches children the difference between stray and domestic animals, and how they are all vulnerable to humans and look to them for food and shelter.

Three classes are held during the day as part of a preschool program for children, ages four to seven years, at the Trenton YMCA. Two additional classes are held after school for children age five to eight years.

Some classroom activities include stories and games that teach children to be kind towards animals. The shelter also brings in dogs from the shelter and has children interact with them in a positive way.

"We try to make a point that there are many homeless animals," said Maski.

SAVE's Humane Education Program was formalized in 2002, with the formation of the Mercer County Consortium for Humane Education. The consortium includes representatives of local educational, community and civic organizations throughout the county that fight against the ill treatment of animals.

According to Ms. Nicolls, SAVE hopes to expand the Humane Education Program to broader areas in the near future.

"My hope is to take this program throughout Mercer County and the state," said Ms. Nicolls.

SAVE's goal is to reach all young school children in the greater Princeton community, and for teachers to incorporate the lessons of humane education in a variety of disciplines, including science, language arts, environmental studies, and art, said the director.

Currently SAVE offers teacher training, workshops, and consultations for educators interested in making this program a part of the classroom.

Still in its early stages, the program is in need of funding and sponsors. This is also true for SAVE's new shelter facility, which hasn't yet reached its goal of $5 million.

Once SAVE builds its new shelter, a classroom and media center on-site will be used for its humane education program. The new facility on Herrontown Road will also provide more space and an indoor play area for animals.

The shelter currently has $2.3 million of its total, receiving a donation of $1 million from an anonymous donor.

For more information on the Humane Education Program or to send donations, call (609) 921-6122.