Paws With a Purpose
Humane Education Brings Compassion and Connection to East Bay Classrooms and Beyond
“Who can tell me what it means
to be compassionate?”
In a sea of second-grade
students, hands fly up.
“It’s when you have a friend and
you ask them how they are.”
“Being friendly!”
“Caring when someone is sad.”
On a Tuesday morning in February, students set aside their usual routines to welcome two special guests: Heather Franco from East Bay SPCA and Elsa, a petite, white-and-tan dog with bouncy charm and expressive eyebrows. What followed was not just a lesson, but a moment of connection between young minds and a pet still looking for their home.
Every February, our Humane Education department delivers a Valentine’s Day experience through Smooches for Pooches, an interactive program designed to build vocabulary around compassion, encourage responsible pet care, and shed light on the experiences of animals in shelters. At Haven Elementary in Piedmont students
prepared skits on animal care, created valentines for available cats and dogs, and took turns gently greeting Elsa, carefully applying what they’d just learned about animal body language and consent.
Empathy Outward
Elsa, like so many of the animals who work with our Humane Education team, is more than a teaching aide — she’s a bridge. For some children, this is their very first time interacting with a dog. For others, it’s a chance to talk about their own pets, past or present. But for all of them, it’s a moment of human-animal connection that stretches far beyond the lesson plan. “We want students to see animals as individuals with needs, personalities, and feelings,” says Heather Franco, Humane Education Manager. “When children can meet animals like Elsa and understand their stories, they’re more likely to grow into compassionate community
members.”
That philosophy is present across all of our education programs, whether in a classroom or at our Oakland and Dublin campuses. Our educators create a safe space to experience the joys of animal companionship and care, and guide participants through complex ideas — like the challenges of long shelter stays, or the concept of animal consent. Through crafts, presentations, and animal interactions, participants aren’t just learning facts, they’re practicing empathy.
Accessibility is at the forefront of these efforts, with scholarships available for camps and volunteer programs, and presentations and workshops geared towards youth, adults, and the developmentally disabled. Just as everyone deserves to experience the human-animal bond, we believe thoughtful humane education benefits all.
Hands-on Advocacy
On a summer afternoon in Dublin, grade school-aged campers can be found in our community classroom, crafting colorful, cardboard houses for our incare cats to enjoy. Meanwhile in Oakland, teens wash and sort laundry so that recent arrivals to the shelter are welcomed with comfortable, clean bedding.
High school students can contribute service hours through our Shelter Scouts program, which combines shelter tasks (like laundry and animal enrichment) with other experiential learning opportunities. Our younger Shelter Scouts are immersed in our work through on-site education, animal-centric crafts, and dog and cat interaction. Both The Calico Crew (ages 8–11) and Rover Recruits (ages 12–17) enrich the lives of animals while gaining an expanded perspective on the importance of shelters.
Spring, summer, and holiday school break camps blend the joy of a day camp with immersive experiences that explore topics like pet behavior, dog training, veterinary care, and animal advocacy.
A Brighter, Kinder Future
At the end of the hour-long visit with Haven’s students Heather accepted a heartfelt donation from the class, who’d fundraised for a week in advance of her visit. The students happily ignored the lunch bell, eager to tell Heather their own animal stories — and get one more belly rub in for Elsa.
If this is the future of animal advocacy, we’re in good hands.