From a commercial breeder mill to school classroom star!
It was a long journey to safety for the fifty older dogs we rescued from an inhumane commercial breeder in the Midwest. When they finally made it to the safety of our campus, their lives were forever changed from a life of isolation and neglect to a life of nurturing and love.
The day after their arrival at or campus, eight of these beautiful canines were taken to our Mutt-i-grees Curriculum partners at Nassau County BOCES Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical Education Center in Westbury, NY to be received into the loving hands of their grooming students.
This special program gave the students the unique experience to learn about the atrocities of commercial breeders and provided nurturing care for the dogs. The students learned about commercial breeders through the Mutt-i-grees lessons and wanted to be part of our rescue work to provide the needed care.
The student exhibited empathy towards the neglected animals. Patience. The students learned patience. They placed the dogs lovingly into a large run and gave them water, food, toys, and blankets. They took turns simply sitting near the dogs. Waiting. Waiting for a dog to come to them. Allowing them to learn that they were safe. Little by little the dogs would approach, a connection was made, and a tail would wag.
In the beginning, everyone was hesitant, dogs and people. By the end, confidence was instilled in both students and canines, trust was built, respect was learned, and love was cultivated. One of the dogs even fell asleep while being groomed!
The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum has two goals: raising awareness of the plight of homeless animals, referred to as Mutt-i-grees® and enhancing children’s resilience and social and emotional competence. Our program provides these opportunities for students to learn the importance of caring about themselves, other people, and animals, in the hope of ending needless suffering
