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Puppet Shows Series

Heather and Midnight the Cat explain to their friend Robert, a new pet owner,all the things one must do to properly take care of cats and dogs in "Please Take Care of Me". Puppeteers Minoo Rahbar & Jim Peace perform with actor JR Nutt in February 2008.

Actor JR Nutt

Melya Kaplan, directing puppeteer Minoo Rahbar

Puppeteer Jim Peace

Behind the Scenes

Baron's Buddies

Bob Ferber, deputy city attorney, head of the Animal Protection Unit and president of our board of advisors is the guardian of four dogs: Baron the rottweiller, a breed that carries a prejudicial stigma; Trapper, who lost a leg to a vicious leg-hold trap used by the fur industry to trap wild animals; A.J., who is blind, and Amy, who is a pit bull with a facial deformity. Bob's presentations (he is always accompanied by his dogs) touch a special emotional cord with all student audiences. As he talks about being different, disabled or stigmatized, the students express a spontaneous love for the four dogs, who respond with happiness and affection in spite of being "different." Bob also talks about his own experience as a cancer survivor and how his disease made some people uncomfortable because he was different, just as several people find it hard to appreciate his dogs as being "special." In an age obsessed with "perfect" pets and "perfect" people, Baron's Buddies is a heart-opening presentation which has had an unforgettable effect on thousands of students at several schools throughout Los Angeles.

Speakers' Series

Performing Animal Welfare Society directors Pat Derby and Ed Stewart were invited to give a series of lectures on animals in entertainment. Pat and Ed spoke at length about the various species used in circuses, and what their natural habitats, behaviors and relationships are like in the wild. They then explained the way in which wild animals are trained to perform the unnatural acts required for circuses. Local radio station KFWB was on hand to cover the presentation.

 

 

Humane Education

The goal of our Humane Education Program is to sensitize young people to animal issues, and to nurture their potential for compassion towards those sentient beings who are considered "subhuman." Although the educational system offers humane education at the elementary level, very little exists at the secondary level. Considering that adolescence is the time when young people stop seeing themselves as "children" and begin to see themselves as "adults," it is imperative that the animal-abusive parts of adult culture do not become for them synonymous with "growing up."

Donate to Humane Education

Although this definition of "Humane Education" focuses on human-animal relationships, we do not underestimate the importance of improving on other relationships: on how humans treat other humans, how we treat the non-sentient environment, or how we treat ourselves. A "humane culture" would be a culture where all these relationships would be based on a non-violent intelligence. However, given that human-animal relationships are much more neglected in the secondary curriculum than programs on social justice, environmentalism, or even human development, we strive to fill that particular gap with empowering programs on human-animal topics. And although there exists sociological research showing that violence toward animals leads to violence toward humans, we do not hold that this is the only reason that violence to animals is undesirable; we believe that all violence to animals is undesirable in and of itself.

 

Here's what some students have said:

“I learned a lot about the testings that are done on animals and have passed this information on to others. Thank you so much for all you’ve done for us.”  ~Carolyn

“I’m very glad you handed out the cruelty-free shopping guide. It’s nice to have a place to get the information because I feel terrible when I buy a product and am told it’s tested on animals. Thank you for coming.” ~Jenna

“I hope you will continue to educate people on animal rights. I know you will change peoples’ view on how animals are treated if you talk to them. I like how you actually take the time to help solve the problem. Thank you again for the change of thought you have brought to my mind.” ~Stacey

“Thanks much. I needed to know that. Now I look at animals in a whole new way.” ~Guiermo

“I really respect you for your accomplishments in showing others that animals are also creatures of God.” ~Christine

“Humans shouldn’t do these kinds of cruel stuff to animals. Humans think they’re so superior above all other living things.” ~Sara

“Thank you for the informative presentation and the new experience. You make the class fun.”  ~Sean

“You brought up some very interesting facts that really got me thinking. Those sad movies were very thought provoking. Keep it up.”  ~Zahra

“I think that you affected us all in some ways that maybe you can’t imagine. Personally I think you’ve made me realize some real unpleasant thoughts but I think it was for the better for me to know what really happens.” ~Anna

“Animals are not different from humans. They have feelings. So if you kill an animal it’s like killing a human.”  ~Neem

“It’s so cool that you love animals so much. I feel good that there are people like you out there.”  ~An Young Chi

Voice for the Animals trustee and Crossroads Middle School teacher Evris Tsakirides invited Dr. Jennifer Conrad, a veterinarian who works with big cats (and small!), to speak to the students about the cruel and painful practice of declawing cats. Dr. Conrad gave an informative presentation and explained that there are many other ways to deal with scratching, a behavior that is very important to cats but often lands them in trouble. Students learned that declawing is not the best solution, because declawed cats often develop other undesireble behaviors such as biting and not using the litter box. Research done in one American city shows that 40% of the cats relinquished to shelters had been declawed.

Classes and Clubs

Human-Animal Relationships Project (H. A.R.P.) is a class in which students learn about historical personalities who were kind to both people and animals in need.

H.A.R.P. students raise funds for needy animals by selling baked goods and frozen yogurt. The funds help pay for the medical treatment and care of dogs and cats awaiting permanent homes.

One of the ongoing projects of the H.A.R.P. class is helping cats and dogs in city shelters. Having found out that the animals lie on chilly, hard concrete during the cold weather months, they collect sheets, pillows, rugs and blankets, and donate these bedding materials to a local shelter. Rocky, a shelter volunteer, wrote to the students: "Thank you again and again from all the cats and dogs in the shelter!"

Students participated in a city-wide effort in Los Angeles to urge the City Council to pass a pet overpopulation ordinance, which significantly raised the license fee for unaltered dogs, created a special fee for breeding, and limited breeding to only one litter per year. The students discussed their concerns with Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas and the then General Manager of Los Angeles Animal Services Dan Knapp. The ordinance was voted into law in 1999.

Students joined many rescue groups to celebrate the opening of the City of L. A. new mobile spay/ neuter van. The van will be traveling to outlying areas of Los Angeles to sterilize the animals of low-income people.

Crossroads School kids learned about our Working Cats Program , and helped us set up a feral cat colony on campus.

Students in the Animal Issues Workshop at New Roads School learned that many pet stores buy animals from puppy mills. These are places where large numbers of continuously-bred dogs and their offspring are cruelly kept in inhumane conditions. These dogs are rarely given medical attention, and a large percentage of them die. After much discussion, the students carefully organized a day of outreach and education. They chose a beautiful sunny Saturday and stood outside of a pet store in Santa Monica that sells puppies, politely educating passers-by on the importance of rescuing a companion animal instead of buying one.

Dissection in Education

In contrast to those who claim that dissection is necessary in education, but offer no supporting data, VFTA holds that dissection is an outdated, expensive and morally detrimental practice. Several studies exist which prove that students who use alternatives (such as websites, computer software and three-dimensional models) achieve the same learning goals, and sometimes score higher than those who learn through dissection. Moreover, dissection desensitizes students to cruelty, a fact which has been proven by criminologists. Allowing students to dissect gives them the message that it is acceptable to harm any being that can not protect itself. Many countries banned dissection in their educational system: Argentina, Israel, Switzerland, Norway, to name a few. VFTA spearheaded the alternatives to dissection at Crossroads Middle School and New Roads School in Santa Monica, California, both of which have instituted a non-dissection policy.

See related articles about dissection in education.