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HSHV Humane Education Program Reaches Out to At-risk Teens  The teens love the interaction with the animals. All HSHV's Humane Education programs are designed to instill compassion in children of all ages. Karen Patterson, HSHV Humane Educator, and her staff, including some four-legged friends, visit the Washtenaw County Juvenile Detention Center on Sundays to work with youth ages 11 to 17. The teens are learning all about HSHV, how to relate the needs of humans to the needs of animals, how to read and understand the body language of animals, and how our daily choices can affect animals in our community. “Part of our program, which lasts for about an hour every Sunday, allows for animal interaction with the participants,” said Patterson. “The kids really enjoy the one-on-one with the pet. We get to teach them about properly approaching and interacting with animals and they seem to really appreciate time they get to spend with the pet.” All of HSHV’s Humane Education programs encourage young people to share their natural affinity for animals and are designed to nurture the human/animal bond and instill compassion in children of all ages. Research has shown that children who are taught kindness towards animals tend to mature into caring, responsible adults. |
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