This collaboration between kids and dogs is the cutest thing we have seen in a while. The Humane Society of Missouri in the US have come up with a great idea to help make a difference to shelter animals and aid them in finding their forever homes.
Many dogs who find themselves in shelters are nervous around people, and are either very highly strung or incredibly shy. What the kids are doing in this shelter will go a long way to improve the behaviour of these dogs, and give them a higher chance of being rehomed.
The Dodo report that the Shelter Buddies Reading Program, helmed by Jo Klepacki is seeing record amounts of interest from kids aged 6 to 15 years old. They are encouraged to sit in front of a shy dog’s kennel and read to them. This benefits the dog in a number of ways according to Klepacki.
“Ideally that shy and fearful dog will approach and show interest. If so, the kids reenforce that behavior by tossing them a treat.”
“What this is also doing is to bring the animals to the front in case potential adopters come through. They are more likely to get adopted if they are approaching and interacting, rather than hiding in the back or cowering.”
“We wanted to help our shy and fearful dog without forcing physical interaction with them to see the positive effect that could have on them.”
The children are required to complete a ten-hour training session, and by participating they develop their empathy skills by seeing how their presence calms these nervous dogs.
“It encourages them to look at things from an animal’s perspective. That helps them better connect with animals and people in their lives.”
All Images via The Humane Society of Missouri
