Do you think we should have mandatory dog education in our public schools??

Question

Seriously, I think that would be ideal to teach the next generation how to responsibly own, train and handle dogs. If we reach them and give them better knowledge about dogs I think it could cut down on animal abuse, dog attacks, neglect and chained "outdoor" dogs, backyard breeding, etc etc. I think knowledge is power and the more we learn the better our society becomes. I think that today, not enough people know about mans best friend to be able to make responsible choices regarding dogs, I truly believe that the more our children are taught about dogs the better our future circumstances will be. What do you think? Should we be teaching our children all we can about Canis lupus familiaris in our schools?? Do you think it would have a positive impact? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Yes, that is an excellent idea. In my town we actually do that, the local animal shelter founder goes to the schools and teaches the kids. There is also a lot of educational material put out by the ASPCA for children.

If more people knew more about proper treatment and care of animals there wouldn't be half as many problems, nor as many pets euthanized in shelters.

Education is seriously the key to solving most of the problems in the world.

Bravo... this is the kind of thinking that will help save lives, human and animal.

Answer 2

I'm a sophmore and so far in high school we've read: Of Mice and Men - 7/10 It was okay but it was a little dull. The Crucible - 8.5/10 It was interesting and definitely worth reading; it was a lot better than most of the ones we've read. Catcher in the Rye - 7.5/10 It seemed like a pointless book. No one got what exactly the conflict was. We read it this year which is appropriate because there is a lot of swearing, so I wouldn't teach it to a younger group. It was fairly good though. Tale of Two Cities - 6.5/10 It was a good book but it was really LONG and we read it FAST so everyone hated it and we all dreaded it so we all sparknoted it. If you spent a good amount of time going over it, the students would probably love it. 1984 - 2/10 God I hated this one. Absolutely loathed it. Please don't teach this one. It was appropriate for our grade, I guess, but it was all political and prostitute-ey and treachery filled which isn't exactly appealing to high schoolers. Anthem - 8/10 It was short and concise, which is good for high schoolers. It was about being different and standing up for what you believe in. It was really interesting and was kinda like The Giver (Which would be an AWESOME book to teach). A Doll's House - 5.5/10 Eh it was okay but as a whole, our grade didn't get much out of it. Pygmalion - 8/10 This incorporated some romance and was interesting. Definitely one of the better plays we read. To Kill a Mockingbird - 7/10 This one was kind of annoying. Being told from a small girls point of view it was very... youthful. It was hard for our grade to really grasp the time period. If you were to teach this one, I would recommend spending a unit on the time period of this book BEFORE delving into it. I think that would help a lot as far as understanding the book. All of these, by the way, were taught in my Honors English 9 and AP American Literature classes.

Answer 3

I think it's a wonderful idea!
I've spoken to several teachers about just that with negative reaction from them that I see no reason for.
There are far too many small children out there causing dogs to bite them and the result is too many children are now afraid of dogs regardless of the breed.
The teachers have all pointed out to me that some things should be taught at home.But not every kid can have a dog or have opportunity to be close to anothers who has the sense to explain to the child how they should and should not act around the animal.
So what's the big deal spending 20 minutes in an entire school year from kindergarten on up to at least the 8th grade on the subject?

Answer 4

YES!! pet welfare of all kinds should be taught, and not just in the primary years, but especially in the teen years. i am not a bunny hugger, either.
most people are clueless about raising children and are completely clueless, careless, and practice pet neglect at best and overt cruelty at worst when it comes to dogs and other pets, too.
i can only see a positive result from teaching general animal responsibility. people that chain or constantly restrain an animal do not possess even basic compassion. how a person regards the elderly, children,and animals should tell you all you will ever need to know about them.

Answer 5

I think that's a Great suggestion! We have to find a way to reach a larger population base to get people educated enough to understand the horrors of overpopulation, puppy mills and dog fighting. Teaching some compassion and responsibility could certainly improve many situations. Providing facts to our children will allow them to become stronger advocates in the future. Which is a necessary component that we lack now.

Answer 6

Forget it. Parents push off enough on the teachers now by having them babysit their little "time out" brats.

The kids now days who get after school jobs can't even count change back.
Pregnancy is still a high school epidemic.
They cause more car accidents when they are turned loose at 16 years old.
They are being taught their juvenile rights against the word "NO".

Who in their right mind would even think of teaching kids mandatory dog education in school when they already know everything?

Parents will still have to feed, walk, pick up poop, pay the groomer and see the vet. They will be doing their kid's dog homework. Kids don't care!

Answer 7

I think that is ridiculous and a waste of time and money. No offense. Thing is...when you purchase a dog...no matter who you get it from...they are supposed to help you make an informed decision and ALSO make sure you are aware of the basics. This aside there are also a plethora of books in libraries, pet stores, chain stores, EVERYWHERE, that can give pet owners information on ANY pet under the sun.

The problem is...there are some people who are getting animals from dishonest and un-trustworthy people and pet stores. The other problem is the owners themselves are not taking a proactive stance in their pets care and health.

It is not the taxpayers or the schools responsibility to make people honest and careful by their pets. It is the OWNERS RESPONSIBILITY.

Answer 8

There is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching children about kindness - toward animals and people. Today's curriculum, in light of the many school shootings and suicide incidents, (several of which were prompted by teasing and/or being ostracized) serve to reinforce the need to expose today's youth to lessons that emphasize the value of all living things and to promote an independent and conscionable thought process.

Answer 9

I'm all for responsible pet ownership, but students aren't even able to learn what they're being taught in school now (pathetic as that is). Schools don't have the time to invest in more non-academic classes. Once the majority of students can read, write and compute sufficiently, then we can consider extraneous (although worthy) issues. Perhaps an annual assembly instead of a class?

Answer 10

On the surface, something like this sounds great. God knows our country is sorely lacking in basic animal care knowledge. There ARE a gazillion books about it, if anyone were to care to learn.

The problem with a class would be that the ARs would surely take it over and use it to spread their propaganda. PeTA is already has pamphlets in schools like "mommy is a murderer" and that is bad enough. *I* don't care to have my kid subjected to their halftruths and outright lies.

Sorry, good idea, but it would certainly be exploited to push the AR agenda.