by Julie Hauserman
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These kids were full of questions, like what to do if they see someone being mean to an animal.© The HSUS |
The neighborhood around the Mesa, Ariz., Boys and Girls Club can be a rough place for people—and for animals.
“We have found dead dogs right in the road that have been used for fighting,” said Danielle Young, teen director at the club, which is known as the Grant Woods Branch.
“We have found tortured cats, and once six puppies that were tortured when they were thrown up in the air over and over, right in front of the kids. There’s a lot of gang activity, and dogfighting is the thing to do in this neighborhood.”
Teaching Kids the Basics
Young’s main job is to help youngsters and teens in the neighborhood learn self esteem and skills, and make sure the kids get help when they need it. But she’s also made it her mission to teach the kids that animals—like people—deserve respect and common decency.
“Many animals in the area are just neglected,” Young said. “I call animal control every other day because I see animals that don’t have food or water or shelter.”
When Young attended the Arizona Animal Rights Meetup group and described the animal cruelty problems in the neighborhood, she met people who later put her in touch with Kari Nienstedt, The Humane Society of the United States’s Arizona director.
Young invited Nienstedt to come talk to a group of Mesa Girls and Boys Club kids, ranging in age from 5 to 18. To both Young’s and Nienstedt’s pleasant surprise, more than 60 kids came voluntarily to hear about the best ways to care for animals. Some shyly shared sad stories about animals they had seen mistreated.
“I was there for an hour and a half, and the kids were paying close attention throughout the whole presentation,” said Nienstedt, who came loaded with HSUS literature on how to deal with animal abuse, along with T-shirts, tote bags, and other HSUS goodies.
“The kids were wonderful,” Nienstedt said. “I thought they would need some coaxing to get engaged in the conversation, so I let them know that anytime they asked a question or answered a question, they’d get a little prize. But it turns out that they didn’t need the encouragement to talk—they had a lot of questions, like, ‘What do I do if I see someone being mean to an animal?’”
Success Breeds Success
The event was so successful that Nienstedt has two more presentations scheduled at other Boys and Girls Clubs. And Young wants Nienstedt to return to talk to her club every year.
“My hope is that the kids won’t make the same mistakes that their brothers and sisters and parents make, and that they will learn that all animals need to be treated well,” Young said. “Some of them didn’t even know the basics of caring for an animal, so they got that information for the first time.”
In the days after Nienstedt’s presentation, Young said more of the kids came forward with information about animal cruelty. “I really encouraged them to talk about what’s going on,” Young said.
The HSUS's Nienstedt was really impressed with the kids' ongoing interest in helping animals. “We’re just trying to build a base of compassion in these kids. It has really been amazing so far.”
Get Involved
For information on how you can help animals in your community, visit humaneteen.org»
