Humane Education

In partnership with the Saving Hope Foundation, Spay Neuter Network provides humane education for elementary school children in Fort Worth to teach them about dog safety and responsible pet care. The goal of the program is to decrease chances a child is bitten by a dog and encourage children to appreciate, respect and take care of their family’s pets.

– Programs are available for Fort Worth Independent School District elementary schools, after-school programs, and summer camps.

– Elementary school programs range from 30- to 50-minutes and are appropriate for Kindergarten through Fifth grade. Lessons include basic pet care, a video on how to behave around animals, and ways to stay safe if approached by stray dogs. (Note: Due to the pandemic, humane education is restricted to online programs until further notice.)

– Programs are available for Fort Worth Independent School District elementary schools, after-school programs, and summer camps.

– All students receive a voucher for a free spay/neuter, vaccinations and microchip for their pets and a pet care and dog safety booklet. Kindergarten and first grade students receive their choice of pet care books, The Lucky Tale of Two Dogs or The Happy Tale of Two Cats, in English or Spanish.

– For more information on our humane education programs, please contact Cathy Rosenthal, Certified Humane Education Specialist (CHES), at humaneeducation@spayneuternet.org.

Support

The Humane Education Initiative is supported by The Saving Hope Foundation, SNIP, SNIP HOORAY and Spay Neuter Network.

Testimonials

Tobi Jackson, Executive Director for SPARC (after-school programs), Fort Worth, Texas

“This humane education program was the showstopper of our summer camp. The responses from students and parents were 100% in favor of her approaches to safety, respect and care of animals and the teachings transferred to the family. Students were provided 30 minutes weekly, yet the sessions went 45 minutes to an hour, with Cathy individually answering questions online and afterward via emails to students. The parents and students wanted more of this kind of education for their children, and from these statistics provided by local animal control, this is the place to be.”

Kyle Williams, P.E. Co-Teacher, Clifford Davis Elementary, Fort Worth, Texas

“Cathy presented at our school regarding pet safety and it was wonderful. She instructed our children with verbal and hands-on activities. She answered their questions and even taught them a few ways to connect with their animal, along with some tricks to teach their dogs. The information she provided was vital for our kids because most of them had never heard it presented in this manner. The safety information was particularly vital for our kids. This program is an outstanding extension of learning for our students and I hope Cathy gets to teach many other students in this area.”

Cynthia Escamilla, Counselor, Worth Heights Elementary School, Fort Worth, Texas

“I want to thank you again for the wonderful presentation last week. Our students and also our teachers really enjoyed it and learned a lot of important safety information from you. It is helpful for our students to know, especially what to do if attacked by a stray animal and the correct way to go about approaching/petting someone else's pet. We unfortunately do have a lot of stray animals in our area and I believe the information you gave us was very helpful and necessary. I also found the animal care/responsibility tips that you gave extremely important. I have to say even I learned a few interesting and fun training tips from your presentation that I couldn't wait to go and try on my dogs at home. Thanks again for coming to our school. We hope we can have you back in the future, as we all learned a lot from you!”

Enrique Rodriguez, PE teacher, Worth Heights Elementary School, Fort Worth, Texas

“I just wanted to thank Mrs. Rosenthal for coming by Worth Heights Elementary and presenting. The information she shared about strays and pets was informative. It was relevant information for the children. The students were engaged and seemed to really connect with the material. Teachers as well commented on how they learned from her presentation. I appreciate it, and I am sure the information resonated with many of the students. Thanks again.”

Doris Sanchez, Coach, Hubbard Heights Elementary School, Fort Worth, Texas

“It was a pleasure having you at Hubbard. You taught the student, as well as the teachers, things that are vital in taking care of our beloved animals. I have been reviewing the information with the students the past two days and will continue next week and again and again in the spring to keep the information fresh in the minds of our students. All the information that you presented was on target and it was amazing to have you as our trainer/teacher for the day. Thank you so much, and again, thank you for your expertise on animal safety.”