There is an organization, Karma Dogs, that is made up primarily of rescued dogs who have been given a second chance and now, with the help of their owners, help others by saving dogs and serving people. Their primary functions include improving literacy skills among elementary school students and working with children and adults with developmental disabilities to improve communication and socialization skills.

Due to the horrific act of animal cruelty that happened in Baltimore to Phoenix, the dog set on fire, Karma Dogs has instituted a new program.

The nonprofit organization founded to teach kids to appreciate and respect animals just announced its Oath of Kindness program.

The OK program is a way for children and teens to pledge to be kind to animals, to tell their friends to be kind, too, and to promise to tell an adult if they see animal cruelty.

“We hope the Oath of Kindness program helps stimulate conversation between children and their parents regarding the treatment of household pets and other animals,” said Kelly Gould, executive director of Karma Dogs. “We work primarily with rescued dogs and it has been our goal at Karma Dogs to teach adults and children that animals have an intrinsic value.”

Karma Dogs will be “swear in” kids who will also get a “pawtographed” certificate and a ribbon they can wear. Karma Dogs will also launch an e-newsletter with positive stories about children being kind to animals, as they say, “whether scaly or slimy, feathered or blue, dog or cat, furry or fat.” Children are encouraged to submit their own stories via OK@karmadogs.org.

On Saturday, June 20 at the Towson Public Library from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., children attending a H.E.A.R.T.S. (Help Encourage All Readers to Succeed) program will be able to take the Karma Dogs Oath of Kindness.

Gould felt like her organization could do something in light of the Phoenix case.

“We have hundreds of kids who participate in our reading programs. If each of those children stop to think about the importance of being kind and make a promise to the dog they have been working with, then I hope in the future they will remember that promise when faced with someone mistreating an animal,” she told Unleashed. “From not laughing at cruel jokes to stopping someone from abusing an animal, kids need to know how important it is to be kind. Sometimes, I think we just have to stop and remind people of that.

I want to thank Jill Rosen of the Baltimore Sun for getting the word out about Karma Dogs new program.  Teaching children when they’re young is the best way to stop animal cruelty. Programs like this which teach empathy and sympathy for animals can make all the difference in the world when a child is confronted with an animal abuse situation, it gives them the skills to make the right choice.

* Pic courtesy Karma Dogs, check out their site.

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Last week the guest tipster on The Daily Dog Tip was CJ Betancourt, founder of The Foundation for Service Dog Support. The FSDS s a non-profit organization based in Arizona. They are a support and resource center for those with service dogs, and those who seek information and training on service dog issues.

The organization runs several programs, but the one I want to focus on is the Puppy Raising Program. The reason being, this program works with high school students. Over the last few months I’ve posted some very disturbing stories dealing with children and animal cruelty, this program highlights the good qualities in today’s teens. It shows what a difference a high school student can make in the community, now and in the future.

The program allows students to earn HS credits, while learning puppy raising, canine obedience and canine safety programming. At the end of three semesters, the teams must successfully pass the FSDS Certification test, and the dogs will then be matched with individuals in the community with disabilities who require service dogs.

One of the teens chosen to participate is Brittney Shields.  I got the opportunity to interview Brittney about her experience being in the program.

My name is Brittney Shields, and I was chosen to be a handler/trainer in this program. There are twelve handlers and twelve puppies in the first group. Each of us had to go through an application and interview process before we were accepted into the program. I first heard about it from an article on the school district’s website.

After reading the article, I was instantly interested in the program for two reasons. The first reason being that I love animals, and I would get to work with dogs on a daily bases. The second reason was because of the purpose of the program: training service dogs to give to those in the community who have given to us. I would be learning all about service dogs, laws regarding them, and how to train them, and I would also be training a dog for a very deserving individual.

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This story is disturbing on so many levels. Not only is the act itself horrific, but the ages of the children involved is frightening to me.

The fact that children could commit this crime without feeling or remorse shows there is something very wrong in our society.

Newbold, Rochdale (UK): A gang of youths had seized the seven-week-old brother and sister and were slowly roasting them over a bonfire on a canal bank.

Yelping in panic and distress as their fur began to burn, the pair struggled desperately to escape the children’s clutches.

The commotion attracted a walker who ran over to the bonfire and ordered the gang to release them immediately.

Melanie Johnson, 32, said: ‘I just could not believe the cruelty being shown by these kids. If I hadn’t turned up, I think they would have burned the dogs alive.’

Miss Johnson, from Rochdale, added: ‘Most of the kids were aged 12, 13 or older. But some were as young as ten. I was ripping mad and still am to think that anyone – least of all children – could do this.’

She took the two puppies from the bank and carried them to the safety of her home before wrapping them in a towel and taking them to an RSPCA shelter.

The puppies are doing fine and will soon be put up for adoption.  No arrests have been made in connection to this crime. I hope the Greater Manchester Police don’t just dismiss this as kids being kids, this is a despicable act and those children need to be punished accordingly.

Yesterday I did a post on starting a Neighborhood Watch Program, and getting a free kit to start one. I mentioned it would be a great aid for teachers,  helping to give children a better understanding how animals should be treated and how to interact with them.

This vicious act reinforces my feelings even more, children that abuse and torture animals turn into adults who do the same. That should be enough to scare anyone into action, change starts with you, take time to make a difference.

* Picture courtesy Manchester Evening News Syndication

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