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From Tether to Teacher!!

In late September, Mrs. Black of Barbers Hill Kindergarten asked us to bring a rescue dog and to come talk with the children to give them an idea of WHY they are collecting Pennies for Pets in the little doghouse-shaped banks that sit in their classrooms.

So, our latest celebrity rescue, Woody, and I went to school! The children had already been told that it would be Woody who was visiting, and they had read all about him and looked at the pictures of what life USED to be for him at the end of a chain firmly fastened around his neck with a huge padlock. They had looked at the gross, brown water that Woody was supposed to drink; and had seen the old refrigerator leftovers that he was supposed to eat. No wonder both were left untouched by him!

Anyway, as we entered the classroom, a big "HI, WOODY" rang out from all the children, because they felt that they already knew him. Woody's long tail began to whip back and forth, and his big mouth grinned wide! REALLY, It DID!!

Woody, formerly a dog tethered, was transformed into Woody, a teacher!

We stood at the front of the class and Woody let me have my say about how animals should always be respected and treated with kindness. How dogs should NEVER be chained or tethered to anything stationery, how they should always have fresh water available to them, and their food should be food that has been made especially for dogs.

I told the children that last year, the classes at Barbers Hill Elementary collected pennies for pets just like they were going to do this year. And I explained how those pennies added up to a lot of money and that money is how we were able to take Woody to the veterinarian to get well from all the things that were wrong with him because his owners didn't take care of him as they should.

The children understand that there are many other pets out there who need help, just like Woody did! They now know how their pennies will be spent and they are excited to help the animals.

They learned from Woody that even if someone is mean to you and makes you sad, you should forgive and move on with life with a kind heart.

You still have friends who care for you.

They learned that just because a dog is BIG, doesn't mean that he's not nice!

They learned that even if your friends look different from you, they are still your friends and you should love them and support them.

Then we gave each child a card with Woody's picture on one side and a place for the child's name on the other...along with a sentence that said, "I know Woody personally"... or "I am Woody's friend" etc... Sort of like baseball cards, you know! =)

Mrs. Black, Mrs. Bonnin, and Mrs. Neff have been participating with their classes in the Pennies for Pets program for three years, now; and these kindergarten children have raised close to $1,500 for the animals - One penny at a time! Kudos to these teachers at Barbers Hill Elementary who understand there is more to education than "The three R's!" The children in these classes are getting a fabulous start to a well-rounded education!

Thank you so much, children AND teachers, for making it possible for animals like Woody to let his light shine!