By Heide Brandes
Every year, animals are hurt or killed by children, either on purpose or by accident. In many cases, a beloved pet
can be hurt when a child plays too roughly with it, but in extreme cases, children can also cause the death of an animal.
While injuries and death of an animal range to the extreme level, basic compassion toward animals is an often overlooked part of child development and socialization training. Gone should be the days of boys gleefully killing squirrels and birds with BB guns for fun, and equally gone should be the days of little girls beating a mouse or a spider to death because they were taught “they are scary.”
Animal abuse in the United States is still rampant. According to the Humane Society of the United States, most cases of animal abuse are never reported and are difficult to track because cases of animal abuse are not compiled by state or federal agencies.
Numerous scientific studies show that animals are sentient beings that experience “feelings.” They suffer emotionally and physically when treated unkindly, and they feel joy when they feel safe and loved.
In many ways, the emotional health of a society can be measured in how it treats animals.
Even more concerning is the scientific evidence that links animal abuse to child abuse. Animal abuse by children is common, with up to 44 percent of kids likely to do this at some point during their childhood, although the true prevalence may be higher because parents and children may be unaware or unwilling to report it, says evidence published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
While much of this behavior in younger children can be attributed to exploring the world around them, in children aged 10 and above, it may very well reflect abuse in the family, the report suggests.
Animals both domesticated and wild are a wonderful part of our lives and have been for thousands of years. Besides cats, dogs, hamsters, birds and fish, other creatures like livestock and wild critters deserve respect and compassion as well. It’s never too early to teach your children that every living creature deserves kindness whether they be furry, scaly, feathered or fearsome.
Why Compassion Matters
Louisa McCune, executive director of the Kirkpatrick Foundation in Oklahoma City, has a passion for animal well-being. In fact, the foundation itself has a mission to make Oklahoma “the most humane state by 2035” and often champions animal rights and animal causes.
“The right thing to do is to not abuse an animal. It’s the right thing to do not to abuse a loved one. It’s the right thing to do not to abuse strangers. It is a high-mindedness that’s applicable in every moment in everyday life,” said McCune. “The humane treatment of animals is the beginning of a humane society toward people of every stripe, in every country, in every culture. As far as I’m concerned, it all starts with how we treat animals.”
McCune said when animals don’t fare well, people don’t fare well.
“The animal is the canary in the coal mine of how society is doing. How animals are treated is the estimation and essential metric in evaluating overall community health, whether we’re talking about the community of a neighborhood, the community of a city, a county, a state, a nation or a hemisphere,” she said.
“Teaching children from a young age to be compassionate to animals is the first step in teaching humanity to be compassionate to everyone and everything.”
In fact, numerous studies show disturbing connections between kids who are cruel to animals and violent behavior toward people. In a report published by the American Library Association, author Jeanette Lawson says that animal abuse often precedes violence toward other people. Indeed, in almost every major act of violence, from the Columbine massacre to serial killings, animal abuse and cruelty were present.
However, by the time a young person shows cruelty toward animals, it is often hard to change that behavior, which is why it is so important to teach children to treat animals with kindness. “I have three tenets as a mother: you have to be safe, you can’t be a jerk, and you have to be kind to animals. Everything else is negotiable,” McCune said. “It has been very easy for me to incorporate animal well-being in our household. We have lots of dogs and cats. We feed the birds, we feed the squirrels, and we take the spiders outside.”
THE STORIES OF KINDNESS
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to connect with children. Fortunately, there are plenty of children’s books about animals and kindness. Your local library and librarian can be invaluable resources in finding age-appropriate books that teach kids how to be kind to other living creatures.
Organizations like the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education and the Humane Society of the United States also provide materials and resources that encourage humane education in a positive manner.
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s ever-popular “Shiloh” may be the bestknown book dealing with animal abuse, but many other books focus on empathy toward animals as well, including:
• “Mama Cat Has Three Kittens” by Denise Fleming
• “’Let’s Get a Pup!’ Said Kate” by Bob Graham
• “The Lady and the Spider” by Faith McNulty
• “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White
• “Go Home! The True Story of James the Cat”
by Libby Phillips Meggs
• “The Stray Dog” by Marc Simont
• “Third Grade Pet” by Judy Cox
• “Saving Lilly” by Peg Kehret
Oklahoma author Bill Wallace also has a series of books about animals. Visit your local library to find these titles and more.
OTHER WAYS TO TEACH COMPASSION
Here are some easy ideas to get your children excited about being an animal advocate and to learn how to be kind.
• Pet shelters and rescue organizations often need volunteers to
help feed the animals, walk the dogs, clean cages and more. Volunteering with your child can help them learn why it’s important to be kind to animals.
• Donate to local animal organizations. From homeless pet
shelters and catch/neuter/release groups to animal sanctuaries,
donating with your children can help all animals in need. While money is the most needed donation, families can also collect and donate pet food, pet toys, cleaning supplies and more.
• Help your child organize a pet food drive at school, church or
in the neighborhood.
• Empower your children to write letters to local legislators
promoting anticruelty and humane animal laws.
• Tour Oklahoma rescue operations and animal sanctuaries,
including Bella Foundation, the Oklahoma Primate Sanctuary,
the Endangered Ark Elephant Foundation, Second Chance
Animal Sanctuary and many more.
• Let your children “practice” being kind to animals while they
play or teach them about pet care with their favorite stuffed
animals. Include a visit to a local vet so kids can talk about
how their stuffed “pet” is feeling.
• Go on a hike and talk about the animals and insects you see.
• Take a pledge through the nonprofit organization American
Humane, which challenges people to commit to protecting
and improving the lives of millions of animals. Adults and
children alike can sign an online pledge declaring their belief
that all creatures should be treated with compassion.
• Adopt an animal in need from a local shelter.
For more information about animal compassion, visit the Kirkpatrick Foundation at kirkpatrickfoundation.org or the Oklahoma Humane Society at okhumane.org.
