Humane Education

The Society’s professionally trained, credentialed Humane Education Teacher provides classroom presentations to all grade levels at local elementary schools. The goals of the program are to teach compassion and respect for all living creatures, to teach proper care of domestic animals, and to protect wildlife and the environment. To receive more information on this program, or to schedule a presentation, please contact Lynn Hildebrand at (909)386-1400, extension 220.

The expression “The Power of One” was inspired by an article written by Jane Goodall for Time Magazine on Monday, August 26, 2002. In the article Ms. Goodall wrote, “The greatest danger to our future is apathy. You may be overcome, however, by feelings of helplessness. You are just one person in a world of 6 billion. How can your actions make a difference? Best, you say, to leave it to decision makers. And so you do nothing. Can we overcome apathy? Yes, but only if we have hope. We have huge power. Each of us must work as hard as we can now to heal the hurts and save what is left.”

To read the complete article, visit Time.com

Kindness comes in all sizes.

Animal Safety Presentation at Fontana’s Citrus Elementary School

The Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley (HSSBV) was invited to give a special presentation to the students at Citrus Elementary School in Fontana, Calif. on February 4, 2010.

See video from ABC News Channel 7 here: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7258800.

Most everyone in the community has heard about the terrible incident of the Fontana family who was attacked by a pack of dogs. Citrus Elementary is where the little girl and her brother attend school. HSSBV was invited by Fontana Police Dept. and Fontana Animal Services to help present a program about how to be safe around animals you don’t know, and to provide comfort to the students.

Information was shared by our Humane Educator Lynn Hildebrand, as well as Fontana School Police Officer Cindy Evaro, Humane Education Specialist Katherine Gigandet with her service dog Pilot, and Fontana Animal Services Officer Jamie Simmons. Lynn spoke about how to be safe around animals, and Katherine told the kids about how therapy dogs can calm and reassure children. Their message was “Animals can be your friends.” HSSBV was also able to share wonderful Animal Safety coloring books that were donated by our friends at State Farm Insurance.

Pictured in the photo (L-R):
Lynn Hildebrand, Humane Educator, Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley; Jamie Simmons, Animal Services Officer, Fontana Police Dept.; Cindy Evaro, Fontana School Police; Kevin Tierney, Principal, Citrus Elementary School; Pilot, Delta Intervention Pet; McGruff, the Crime Dog; Katherine Gigandet, Humane Education Specialist

Cypress Elementary Cares for Critters

Students at Cypress Elementary School in Fontana held a fundraising campaign called Care for Critters to raise awareness for animals through the HSSBV.

Hunter Gasca

“Mom! There’s a dog stuck in the drain pipe!” These are the words 17-year-old Hunter Gasca blurted as he burst through the door of his mother’s staff meeting at Kimbark Elementary School in Devore, Calif.

On that particular afternoon, Hunter was walking near the school parking lot when he heard the very faint yelps and whimpers of a dog.

Living up to his name, the curious, animal-loving teen decided to investigate. He followed the intermittent weak barking and whining to a heavy steel grate in the asphalt. Hunter then got down on his hands and knees, and peered through the grate into the nearly five foot deep concrete vault.

He was horrified when he saw a white and gray muzzle straining for fresh air through only a four-inch drain hole at the bottom of the vault floor. “The dog was obviously stuck and frightened. There was nothing I could do by myself, so I ran to get help,” Hunter explained.

Kind Kids Making a Difference

Fairfax Elementary School kids are at it again. With their teacher Christine Marquez, they’re collecting recyclables to raise funds to help animals.

The students have done all the work themselves, from collecting the recyclables, discussing how to spend the funds to make the most difference, voting, and taking action! They’ve even opened a special account to carefully track their funds. So far these kind kids have raised $109. Their goal is $300. They want to contribute toward medical care costs, pet food, animal bedding and supplies, cleaning equipment, and spay/neuter expenses.

This is Ms. Marquez’s third consecutive fifth-grade class that has taken on a recycling challenge to make a difference! For more on this worthy project, call Lynn Hildebrand at (909) 386-1400 ext. 220.

Bottles and Cans Donations as of July, 2010

Ms. Marquez's 2006-2007 Fifth Grade Class (Bottles and Cans)	$383.32
Ms. Marquez's 2007-2008 Fifth Grade Class (Bottles and Cans)	$1009.14
Ms. Marquez's 2008-2009 Fifth Grade Class (Bottles and Cans)	$196.59

Animals, Community, and Healing

Katherine Gigandet with Pilot (left) and Lisa Medina with Haylee Sue (right) are an integral part of the Humane Society’s Humane Education program. Learn about the wonderful work they do:

Meet Pilot!

Meet Haylee Sue!

You and your pet can make a difference. With your commitment as a registered Pet Partner, comfort is shared, spirits are lifted, children learn compassion, and humane education comes to life.

Click here for information on evaluation and registration requirements.

What is Spaying and Neutering?

Our humane educator needs funding to purchase a children’s book entitled What is Spaying and Neutering? And Why Should Pets Have These Operations? In easy-to-understand text and engaging pictures, it explains the huge problems of pet overpopulation and what can be accomplished for animals when we act as responsible pet owners. If ordered in a quantity of 500 or more, these books are only $1.00 each! Would you like to provide this book to hundreds of local school children in grades K-6?

Designed by Mrs. Wozniak’s class at Muscoy Elementary School

BING WONG Students Create Flags and Pledges for Animals!

SPEAK UP FOR ANIMALS!

by Mrs. Kuhlman’s 5th grade class at Bradley Elementary

Our class believes people should treat animals with kindness and respect. We are going to tell you ways you could be kind to animals.

There are many ways that people can be kind to animals. First, be sure to feed them. You should feed them three times a day for every day. If you don’t feed a dog or other animals, they could get sick or die of starvation. They can’t survive. They need to eat so they can live their life and be healthy. Do not leave them one day without eating! Give them food or water because they get hungry and thirsty.

Second, give your pets shelter. They need shelter because in the cold they need some where to keep warm. If they do not have shelter, they can get wet in the rain and get sick. Give them a comfortable place to sleep. If they don’t get sleep they are going to get weak.

Third, do not hit them. If you hit them they will not like you and not listen to you. If you hit them they will not do what you want.

Fourth, do not leave them tied up with a short rope. The dogs could get choked and hurt. You are breaking the law if you leave dogs tied up to a stationary object for longer than three hours in a 24-hour period.

Fifth, make sure your pet stays safe. Do not give your pets away or else the other person who you gave it to might treat them bad.

Sixth, when you see an animal alone in the streets, keep him and try to find his/her owner.

Seventh, take them to the veterinarian so they can check how they are and get healed. The vet will check them for ticks, flies and fleas. Always check for fleas because animals could lose a lot of blood. They need shots so that they don’t get diseases and they don’t die. Immediately go to the veterinarian if they have an infection because your pet could die.

Eighth, take them for a walk in the park to get them more strong and healthy. Play with them; it will be so much fun! And then they will not be lonely.

The last way we are going to tell you about taking care of animals, is to give them a lot of love. Your pet will love you if you give them love and he/she will not run away from you. The animals are like your family. That’s why you should help them. You should treat them like you like them. You should treat them kind.

Animals should be treated like persons because they have feelings, too. This is why people should be kind to animals. That’s why you should always take care of your pets.

The following letter was written by a 6th grade student, upon his finding a deceased animal in his neighborhood, which appeared to have been abused.

We were touched by this young man’s compassionate response to the tragic reality that he discovered – he wanted to do something. He did not just walk by.

We certainly wish that children were not exposed to animal cruelty. We wish we all lived in a peaceful, harmonious world where human violence and animal cruelty did not even exist. But children’s stories and letters bear witness to what they experience in their real world, and of the ways they see animals being treated.

And with more young people becoming concerned and involved in helping people, animals, and our environment, they are helping to achieve this dream of a humane world, and to cause this vision to become reality. Here is his letter. (Note: some details have been removed.)

“Animal cruelty is a sick thing. On November 25, I saw a shocking sight. … I nearly cried. I felt so sorry for it. I felt devastated. … There was a dead dog was in a storm drain.

I immediately wanted to do something. But I thought what can I, a small, short 6th grader, do? I thought, can I make a difference by myself? I called a local animal shelter to ask how I can help stop animal cruelty.

Animal cruelty can hurt two ways, emotionally and physically. Animal cruelty can hurt our life, our parents’ lives, and also children’s lives.

But we all can help make a difference. We all have to work together to help stop animal cruelty. Put yourself in the place of an animal life. Feel how the animals feel.

People who abuse animals should go to prison and get the same punishment their animals got. If you witness such an event, please call a local animal shelter.

You need to take the first step in the fight against animal cruelty. Thank you for your kindness.”

—Submitted by his teacher, Ms. Beth Glass of North Verdemont Elementary School

If you would like to report animal abuse, please call our Humane Officers at (909) 386-1400 ext. 215, or visit http://hssbv.org/programs/cruelty_investigations to make an online report. Your report can be anonymous. If there is something we can do, we are here to help.

“Every animal that walks on earth,
Or swims, or flies is precious
Beyond description, something so
Rare and wonderful that it equals
The stars or the ocean or the mind
of man.”

— James Michener

“I am only one;
but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still I can do something.
I will not refuse
to do the something
I can do.”

— Helen Keller

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”

— Mohandas Gandhi

You never quite know the moment in a child’s life… when you make a difference for a lifetime.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

— Margaret Mead

All the darkness of the world cannot put out the light of one small candle.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.”

— Edmund Burk

“Little things seem nothing,
but they give peace, like those
meadows flowers which individually seem odorless
but all together perfume the air”

— Georges Bernanos