SAFE HUMANE CHICAGO: ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF PROGRAMS PUTTING ANIMALS AND URBAN YOUTH TOGETHER
February 8, 2009
This is an example of a program that PACKS Rescue startup team is studying closely. We want to replicate this work in Sacramento, in order to save animal’s lives.
Chicago, Illinois – People who fight dogs still get respect from some kids on the streets. But the highly publicized conviction and apologies of NFL player Michael Vick last year has had an effect. Chicagoans are seeing more headlines about busts and community efforts to put an end to the barbaric practice. But one group of anti-dogfighting advocates stands head and shoulders above the rest – the Youth Leaders of Safe Humane Chicago. Yes, kids are on the front lines!
A class of 32 high school students at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School and their teacher, Michelle Mowery, has hooked up with a movement called Safe Humane Chicago and are replacing those neighborhood bad guys as young kids’ role models. The Youth Leaders travel to elementary schools all over Chicago and teach kids how to be safe around dogs, how to properly care for a pet, what dog fighting is and why it is cruel and not cool. They are having an amazing impact. By reaching young kids with this positive message, they hope to have a positive impact on their communities. After all, these high schoolers know that in the neighborhoods plagued with animal cruelty and dog fighting, there is also domestic violence, gang violence, drugs and guns. Studies show that people who commit violence against an animal are more likely to commit violence against another person and to become desensitized to all types of violence. These kids are saving the world, one group of kids at a time. I think everyone should know about them!
To see more pictures and another great article about these kids go to: http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=news&mode=entry&entry=F6CF3A6F-19B9-B9D5-9D523EAAFDC56299
