A Rotta Love Plus partnered with the third grade teachers and staff at Barack and Michelle Obama Service Learning Elementary School (formerly Webster Elementary) in St. Paul this school year to assist in their year-long service learning project. The project focus this year revolves around dogs and all of the many things we can learn from these animals (ie. responsiblity, empathy, compassion, kindness, etc.). Already the 3rd graders have learned a number of things relating to the care and responsibility of dogs and future lessons will include teaching empathy, safety, and humane treatment.

Yesterday, 12/22/09, A Rotta Love Plus helped coordinate a program for 4- third grade classrooms. Hector, a former Micheal Vick dog and now therapy registered dog, was joined by his owner Clara Yori and pit bull owner Amber Anderson (who has adopted a pit bull from A Rotta Love Plus and is a Kindergarten teacher at the school) to talk about the humane treatment of dogs. These four- 1/2 hour programs were largely guided by the students and their questions about Hector as he bears the physical scars of his past, yet emotionally you would never know the horrors that he once encountered. It is our hope that discussions such as these will help kids develop their empathy, not only for animals, but to treating each other with empathy and kindness as well.

We are very excited about this program!

The media paid a visit too. If you have a moment please consider sending an email to each network to thank them. Yesterday, they put a very positive spotlight on pit bulls, and we liked it.

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