Over the past few weeks, HEART students in Chicago have been learning about helping companion animals. Our students learned about how there are approximately 6-8 millions dogs and cats without homes, the benefits of spaying and neutering, the problems with puppy mills, and why companion animal adoption is so important.
To raise awareness about companion animal issues, our students created informative posters to be displayed at their schools and online. We asked Anna and Jesus, two of our 6th grade students at Dirksen Elementary School, to tell us more the project and the posters that they created.
Could you describe your poster for us?
Anna: I created this poster as a project. It shows two animals, a dog and a cat, next to a shelter. On the poster, it explains how to stop overpopulation and why you should adopt at shelters instead of pet stores. The main idea of the poster was to explain to people that there are way more dogs, cats, and more animals than homes.
What do you hope people learn from your poster?
Anna: I want people to learn that there are many animals that aren’t spayed or neutered, and yours could be one of them. Nobody wants more overpopulation than there already is. So you should spay or neuter your dog or cat. Also, if you want to help out with this problem, adopt at a local shelter to help them. I had so much fun on this project, as I got to draw and spread an important message.
Could you describe your poster for us?
Jesus: In my poster I drew a dog in a cage pleading to be free. This explains how dogs feel at puppy mills. I wrote the most important facts to inform the reader about the topic and my title to grab their attention.
What do you hope people learn form your poster?
Jesus: I would like everyone to understand that puppy mills are hurting dogs and that what they say are lies. I think everyone should speak up and get the word out to ban puppy mills.
We couldn’t be more proud of Anna and Jesus and their passion for helping animals. However, Anna and Jesus are not the only students who made posters about helping dogs and cats. To see more of our students’ posters, visit our Flickr page.
Wow this is truly beautiful. Bless the youth for their bright light and truth! Infinite Creativity for the purpose of service to those without a “human” voice. I SAY THANK YOU TO THE STUDENTS CREATING THEIR TRUTH ON INHUMANE ANIMAL PRACTICES.