“Be kind to every kind, not just mankind.”
Anthony Douglas Williams
The NHES, Who They Are:
It is fair to say that if you are reading this, you adore your precious pets—whether four-legged, winged, or in a fish tank to mention a few! We adore our pets too and yours to be exact, which is why we do what we do here at Pet Treater and why the NHES does what they do—daily!
We took the time to speak with some amazing ladies that work for the NHES (The National Humane Education Society) to gather more insight on taking care of our sweet pets and looking out for those that have not been treated well. We touched on the benefits of education and why this non-profit organization travels the country to help educate children up through adults.
The NHES, What They Do, and How:
Hayley Miller and Megan Hessenberger, both Humane Educators with NHES, say that with just the two of them leading the educational groups, it gets quite busy—but it isn’t a job for them, it’s a purpose! When asked about the great programs they offer and what is the driving force behind them, Hayley stated that “with Megan’s experience in early childhood education and my background in music education, we approach program development with our combined creativity. Our “Kindness in the Classroom” program focuses on three main principles: being kind to animals, being responsible companion animal owners, and being safe interacting with animals.
So how does all this happen exactly? According to Hayley, they “present approximately 80-90 programs per year, with 10% of those programs given on-site through group tours, educational presentations, and summer camps, while the other 90% are off-site—mainly in elementary schools. The “Kindness in the Classroom” program is currently geared toward pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, but we are working to develop programs for middle school ages in the near future”.
The NHES, It Takes Us All to Raise Awareness
Leesburg, VA, 5th grade teachers teaching a classroom of amazing children
how to love, care, and nurture animals!
NHES incorporate hands-on learning games and activities for children and workshops for other compassionate animal lovers. When possible, they will bring along an adoptable dog from their flagship facility, The Briggs Animal Adoption Center (www.baacs.org) or they partner with a local therapy dog team so that students can practice safety with a real dog. Megan stated that, “The Briggs Animal Adoption Center (BAAC) in Charles Town, WV, NHES’ animal rescue, employs a full-time dog trainer who helps rehabilitate and socialize the dogs at BAAC only”.
This organization is quite the cat’s meow and the puppy dog’s tail. They partner with some wonderful causes: The Network for Endangered Sea Turtles in Outer Banks, NC, Operation Catnip in Gainesville, FL, and Friends of Felines in Hatteras Island, NC.
The NHES, How Can You Get Involved?
As with all true animal driven organizations, the NHES provides so much education, for free, to all that want to take the time to learn and share. They offer free educational brochures and posters that cover a wide variety of issues such as the importance of spaying and neutering, pet adoption, puppy mills, dog chaining, and summer/winter pet care tips. Please visit their websites, www.nhes.org & www.baacs.org or their Facebook pages (@TheNHES or @TheBAAC) for more information on their events.
NHES’ guiding principles states: “To recognize in animals their capacity for friendship and their need for friends…and to inspire in human beings, compassion for all.”
We at Pet Treater find that learning how to take care and nurture our pets is vital to healthy and happy families. We will continue to share our learned knowledge and love to help animals in need. We love knowing that we provide a little of that nurturing through our wonderful monthly treat boxes—one sweet pet and one loving pet parent at a time.
