STONE HARBOR – Students in Dawn Parry’s fourth grade class at Stone Harbor Elementary School hosted a pair of four-legged visitors Feb. 25; it wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. Parry, who has five dogs and three cats herself, is an advocate of teaching children the proper ways to interact with animals. One of the ways she does this is through reading.
“The purpose of this project is two fold,” said Parry. “It is based upon reading fluency and writing for the students, and socialization and calmness for the dogs. The students read trade books to the dogs in the classroom while they pet and talk to them. This creates a warm, caring and secure environment for both the students and the dogs,” she said.
Parry’s class took a field trip to the Cape May County Animal Shelter the week prior to having the dogs in her classroom. “I wanted them to understand why shelters exist,” Parry said. “As an alternative to adopting purebreds, there are lots of animals in shelters that need homes.”
When asked what they learned at the shelter, Jack Foxx, one of Parry’s students said, “If a dog looks mad, you should look away. Don’t stare at the animals.”
“It was nice, but it was sad they were all in cages. We learned that we can’t be very loud and we learned the correct way to approach dogs so we don’t excite them,” said fourth grade student Sophia Braun. “Their real owners probably left them there.”
“Sometimes shelter dogs get a bad reputation,” Parry said. “I think this is a good way for the students to learn how to be responsible pet owners.”
When the dogs arrived in the classroom, the students, though excited, were respectful of the lessons they learned. They greeted Kismet, a pointer/Great Dane mix and Coco a rat terrier who was surrendered to the shelter by people who “said they didn’t have time for him,” according to Joyce Chubb, a volunteer from the Cape May County Animal Shelter. “This is my first time doing this with the students,” said Chubb. “This is really nice socialization for the dogs. It gives us an idea of how the dogs might react in a home environment.”
Once the dogs settled on the floor, students sat in two separate circles and began to read to them. After a few minutes, Kismet and CoCo became comfortable around the children.
“The students become more relaxed when reading aloud,” Parry said. “And they become more fluent in their reading skills. The dogs also become more calm and relaxed around the children as they read to them.”
“Kismet didn’t have a lot of exposure to children prior to this visit,” Chubb said. The more the children read to Kismet, the more the dogs seemed to relax. “We have a trailer at the shelter where we play classical music and spray lavender for the animals. Mental stimulation seems to do a lot more for them than just running around. ”
Parry plans to have different animals from the shelter visit her classroom once a month. The children, for their part, wrote about their experiences with the animals in the hope that someone out there may want to adopt them.
David, Jack, Jesse, Brett, Stephen and Pierce wrote about Coco: ‘Who wouldn’t want to adopt a cute, loving angel named Coco? She is a rat terrier about 4-years-old that is calm, playful, and great with kids. While we were reading to her, she rolled onto her back and wanted a belly rub. Just think, after a long day of work, a small, beautiful dog could be waiting at your door to greet you and snuggle in your arms. If you have space in your heart and home, please adopt Coco.’
Abby, Sophia, George, Shane, Lindsay and Rosa wrote about Kismet: ‘Kismet is the right name for this dog because it means fate, and the people who adopt her will fulfill their destiny. She is a beautiful Great Dane and Pointer mix who is an older girl with a lot of love to give back. Kismet loves attention, especially from kids. While we read to her in class, she rolled onto her side and put her head in our laps to be petted. She is an all around great dog that loves car rides, cuddles, and other pets. So the next time you take a road trip, why not have Kismet by your side and make the trip that much better with a friend.’
For information on the Cape May County Animal Shelter animals and programs, call 465-8923.
To contact Bryon Cahill, email bcahill@cmcherald.com.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
