There’s a special kind of magic under way in Oakland. Last fall, the East Bay SPCA launched an exciting new humane education program called Teaching Love and Compassion (TLC), designed to foster kindness, empathy, respect, and non-violence for all living creatures. The first program of its kind in Northern California, TLC has already proven to be a resounding success.
Here’s how the program works. Students at Lighthouse Community Charter School in East Oakland apply to participate in TLC and are admitted based on teacher recommendations, their records of discipline problems and low grades. Under the guidance of East Bay SPCA staff Joelle Aguirre, Ellen Fisher, Debra Turner, and me, students are matched with and learn to train shelter dogs using positive reinforcement.
It is one thing to read about the multitude of positive effects animals have on humans, but quite another thing to see that magic in action. At the outset of the first program, several dogs were nervous and stressed by the new environment, the change in routine, and the many unfamiliar people. I had never taught dog training to a group of kids before and I worried that the students would get frustrated, that they wouldn’t be interested in dog training, and that some of the dogs wouldn’t relax enough to be trained. I feared that some of the kids might feel like failures and leave the program thinking that positive training was bunk.
My worries were unfounded. Each week the students impressed and inspired me. Unlike many adults, the kids took our discussions on empathy, compassion, and the power of positive training to heart. Working patiently and gradually, students helped the nervous pooches relax by the end of the first week and clicker trained them enthusiastically.
None of the students ever got upset with his dog, and no one wanted to quit. They all accepted the dogs as unique individuals, embraced their idiosyncrasies, and worked at the dogs’ pace. Without a single unkind word, the kids taught the dogs to sit, lie down, stay, watch, and walk on a loose leash, as well as a host of tricks.
TLC’s magic is a two-way street. I firmly believe that the dogs made a lasting impression on those kids. Students who had been painfully shy and withdrawn began to smile and speak more, and stood a little taller each week. The kids delighted in their dogs’ daily accomplishments, no matter how big or small. Most wondrous of all was the deep affection that blossomed between students and dogs in their short time together. Halfway through the program I asked one student what his favorite treats were. With a smile bright enough to light a room he said, “Peluchin,” – his TLC dog.
The fall program culminated in an emotional graduation celebration in which students showed off tricks they’d taught their dogs and read poems they’d written about them. See the sidebar for some of the heartfelt words the students shared. (see sidebar)
The TLC program enriches shelter dogs’ quality of life and provides them with socialization, human affection, and training in basic manners, all of which boosts their chances of finding forever homes. (All seven dogs in the fall class have since been adopted including a few long-term shelter residents and a couple of senior dogs.) At the same time, TLC builds students’ self-esteem and educates them in personal responsibility, peaceful conflict resolution, humane treatment of animals, and other important life lessons.
Several students noted that TLC changed their attitudes towards animals and violence. One student said that because of the program, she no longer interacts with gang members that hang around near her home; now, she ignores them.
I envision TLC’s effects reaching far beyond the classroom, with students spreading the program’s messages to their peers and families, thereby helping break cycles of violence throughout the community.
Our second round of TLC is now in full swing and a third is slated to begin in April. Working for this program is challenging, but I feel so privileged to witness the magic flow from kids to dogs and back again.
TLC Student Writings
I have never had a friend who was
So happy to see me.
But the closer and closer I get to him
The harder it will be to say goodbye.
I just hope the new owners take
care of Peluchin,
My best friend ever.
—Eduardo
…The first time I met you I could feel that loneliness, the confusion, maybe even you were scared of what was happening. But I knew that from that day forward we were going to build a bond together. And I knew that any struggles that would pass your way I was going to be right there by your side to fight through them with you. Every time we accomplished a trick or a goal I felt that happiness in you that fixed the wrinkles in your heart…
—Laura
Lisa-Anne Manolius, CTC, CPDT-KA, an honors graduate of the SF SPCA’s Academy for Dog Trainer, is the TLC dog trainer at the East Bay SPCA, where she also teaches group training classes. As owner/trainer of Oh Behave! (www.ohbehave-dogtraining.com), Lisa is available for private training sessions. She can be reached at lisaohbehave@gmail.com.
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