Animal Cruelty_______________________________________________

This program is designed to help students understand the issue of animal cruelty and its link to violent behavior in humans.   Topics covered within this presentation include:

What constitutes animal cruelty;
California’s animal laws;
How animal cruelty affects the community;
Dog fighting;
Profiles on school shooters and serial killers;
Case studies on actual animal cruelty crimes.

This presentation contains images that may be disturbing to some audiences. We strongly discourage presenting this program to young children.

Animal Safety_______________________________________________

Research has shown that the best way to avoid animal attacks is to teach children about animal behavior and body language. This interactive program is designed to help give kids a better understanding of the ways that dogs and cats use their bodies to communicate. Emphasis is placed on helping children recognize the signs a dog gives in order to communicate anger and fear. Other topics covered include:

What to do if a stray dog approaches;
Ways to protect yourself if a dog attacks;
How to meet an owned dog.

There are two versions of this presentation - one for Kindergarten through 3rd Grades and one for 4th through 8th Grades.

We encourage educators to pair this presentation with our Pet Care program.

Careers With Animals___________________________________________

This program is designed to give kids the knowledge and resources to be able to work towards a career involving animals.  Included in the presentation are salary ranges and education level in relation to each career.  Careers covered within this presentation include:

Animal groomer, trainer, and keeper;
Wildlife and marine biologist;
Animal control and humane officer;
Creative animal-related careers

There are two versions of this presentation - one for 6th through 8th Grades and one for 9th through 12th Grades. 9th through 12th Grade students will get more in-depth direction on the education required for each profession

City Wildlife _________________________________________________

This program is designed to supplement the 3rd grade “City Wildlife” unit required by some educational curricula.  Topics covered within this presentation include:

Vocabulary commonly associated with wildlife;
Wildlife  found within L.A. County;
Human impact on the environment;
Ways to help city wildlife thrive.

Pet Care_____________________________________________________

This presentation is designed to help children understand the needs that companion animals have.  This program promotes responsible pet ownership and kindness towards animals.  Animals covered in this program include:

Dogs and cats;
Small mammals;
Fish and amphibians;
Reptiles and insects.

We encourage educators to pair this presentation with our Animal Safety program.

Volunteers are available to conduct Pet Care/Animal Safety presentations for small groups of children at or below the 3rd grade level. Please contact the Humane Education department at HumaneEducation@spcala.com if you are interested in having a volunteer visit you classroom.

Pet Overpopulation in the United States____________________________

This program focuses on the problem of pet overpopulation in the U.S. Topics covered within this presentation include:

Definitions of terms commonly heard in the animal welfare world;
Statistics on animal populations;
Animal control abroad;
Ways to solve the overpopulation problem;
Common myths associated with spaying and neutering;
Resources on low-cost spaying/neutering clinics.

This presentation covers information that may be inappropriate for younger audiences. Questions on animal reproduction and inhumane animal control practices are likely to be raised. We strongly discourage presenting this program to young children.