Slide 1

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The Importance of Education about Companion
Animals for Elementary School Children

Dennis C. Turner, President of IAHAIO


Slide 2

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Background Information (I)
• Animals have accompanied mankind for thousands of
years.


Slide 3

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Background Information (II)
• There is evidence that interactions with animals
(hunting for prey and avoiding predation) have
influenced our cognition and brain development.


Slide 4

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Background Information (III)
• Our relationships with animals have, however,
changed over the millennia:
 Predator-prey relationship
 Domestication and usage
 Source of food and products
 Working animals
 Social companions (pets)
 Assistance animals


Slide 5


Slide 6

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Background Information (IV)
Simultaneously, the human population has
increased exponentially and the human race has
experienced
 first the cultural, then the industrial, and today,
the technological revolution
 urbanization and alienation from nature
 changes in family structure and the way we
educate our children
 a significant increase in the pet population,
but also, in the numbers of stray animals


Slide 7

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Explaining the HumanCompanion Animal Relationship (I)
• Biophilia and the biophilia hypothesis
(E.O. Wilson; Wilson & Kellert)
 an innate (genetically programmed) affinity to
nature (plants and animals, natural settings)
 Healing power of nature and animal relations
 Nurturing behaviour in response to infantile
stimuli (“Kindchenschema”)


Slide 8

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Explaining the HumanCompanion Animal Relationship (II)
• Attachment theory (Ainsworth and esp. Bowlby)
 based on the very first social relationship
between an infant and its mother
 presence of the mother is reassuring
 separation from the mother (or infant) causes
anxiety and stress, and promotes contact
seeking behaviour


Slide 9

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Explaining the HumanCompanion Animal Relationship (III)

• Social support theory (diverse authors)
 in times of need, humans seek and use the
social support (emotional and/or tangible)
available from relatives and close friends
 a good or large social support network is
important
 a companion animal (pet) can be a member of
the social support network and provide emotional
support, or emotional support that is different
from that provided by other people


Slide 10

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Children and animals (I)

• To many it seems natural that children grow up
with companion animals.


Slide 11

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Children and animals (II)

• During their joint activities they learn
 much about the behaviour and character of their
partner
 that other beings have feelings and needs which
must be respected and looked after
 to interpret the communicative signals of the
animal and better interpret the nonverbal
communication of other persons


Slide 12

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Children and animals (III)
• Scientifically controlled studies have found that
 children with companion animals in the home are
the preferred social partners of classmates in
school (social skills);
 children rely on their companion animals in times
of need (share secrets with them, trust them
because they do not “judge”)


Slide 13

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Children and animals (IV)
 pets promote the
development of empathy,
compassion (respect for
the feelings of others)


Slide 14

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Children and animals (V)
• Scientifically controlled studies have found that
 the presence of a companion animal in the
classroom improves the learning atmosphere


Slide 15

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Children and animals (VI)
• It has been shown that their presence





motivates the children (in all subjects!)
improves their concentration
reduces the general noise level (respect)
lowers the frequency of aggressive interactions


Slide 16

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

How to best learn about
companion animals

• Application of the principles of the pedagogue
Pestalozzi (1746-1827)
 Combined stimulation/use of the
head (cognitive development; thinking)
hands (physical development; working)
heart (emotional development; feeling)


Slide 17

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Where to learn about
companion animals (I)

•

The best setting:
 In the home from parents?
 requires that the parents have adequate
knowledge about the animal
 role model function
 In the classroom from teachers?
 also requires adequate knowledge
 teacher is also a role model
 peer-group pressure/stimulation
 educational materials available


Slide 18

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

Where to learn about
companion animals (II)

Many members of the International Association of
Human-Animal Interaction Organizations, IAHAIO,
realizing the importance of education about dog and
cat behaviour and safe behaviour towards these
animals, have produced materials for use in
elementary schools in their own countries.


Slide 19

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

What to learn about/from
companion animals (I)

First at a World Health Organization-IAHAIO
workshop in 2000, then at the WHO (PAHO)-IAHAIOWSPA Training Programme on „Zoonosis Control and
Human-Animal Interaction“ in Sao Paulo, September
2001, we agreed that we need to increase respect for
companion animals in the general public, but
especially amongst school children by:


Slide 20

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

What to learn about/from
companion animals (II)

 explaining the benefits we get from companion
animals (what they give us)
 teaching about their needs and proper care
 explaining the responsibilities of pet owners,
especially in densely populated cities, as a
significant measure to reduce abandonment of
such animals onto the streets.
Further, the WHO-IAHAIO-WSPA Training Programme
officially endorsed:


Slide 21

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools (I)
Preamble
Given the strong evidence that has accumulated in
recent years demonstrating the value, to children and
juveniles, of social relationships with companion
animals it is important that children be taught proper
and safe behaviour towards those animals and the
correct care, handling and treatment of the various
companion animal species.


Slide 22

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools (II)
Realizing that companion animals in school curricula
encourage the moral, spiritual and personal
development of each child, bring social benefits to the
school community and enhance opportunities for
learning in many different areas of the school
curriculum, IAHAIO members have adopted
fundamental guidelines on pets in schools at their
General Assembly, held in Rio de Janeiro in September
2001.


Slide 23

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools (III)
IAHAIO urges all school authorities and teachers, as
well as all persons and organisations involved in pet
programmes for schools, to consider and abide by the
following guidelines:


Slide 24

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools (IV)

1. Programmes about companion animals should, at
some point, allow personal contact with such
animals in the classroom setting. Depending on
school regulations and facilities, these animals will:
a) be kept, under suitable conditions, on the
premises, or
b) be brought to school by the teacher, or
c) come to visit, in the context of a visiting
programme, together with their owners, or
d) accompany, as a service dog, a child with
special needs.


Slide 25

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools (V)
2. Any programme involving personal contact between
children and companion animals must ensure:
a) that the animals involved are
• safe (specially selected and/or trained),
• healthy (as attested by a veterinarian),
• prepared for the school environment (e.g.
socialized to children, adjusted to travel in
the case of visiting animals),
• properly housed (either in the classroom or
while at home), and
• always under supervision of a knowledgeable
adult (either the teacher or the owner);
b) that safety, health and feelings of each
child in the class are respected.


Slide 26

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools (VI)
3. Prior to the acquisition of classroom animals or
visitation of the class by programme personnel
with companion animals that meet the above
criteria, both school authorities and parents must
be informed and convinced of the value of such
encounters.


Slide 27

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools (VII)
4. Precise learning objectives must be defined and
should include:
a) enhancement of knowledge and learning
motivation in various areas of the school
curriculum
b) encouragement of respect and of a sense of
responsibility for other life forms
c) consideration of each child’s expressive
potential and involvement.
5. The safety and well-being of the animals involved
must be guaranteed at all times.


Slide 28

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The future
The World Society for the Protection of Animals
(WSPA) had already produced it’s successful teacher’s
manual „Caring for Animals“, but this too, needed
revisions for use in all regions of the world.

Therefore, WSPA, IAHAIO and WHO combined their
efforts to produce a new animal welfare educational
manual (IN AWE), which will be available from their
websites (pdf-format) free of charge for use by school
authorities and teachers in 2006.


Slide 29

PD Dr. sc. D.C. Turner
Animal Behavior
Zoology Institute

The future
We can all be grateful to the lead that

has taken on this project and will hear more about this
later in the programme from Jasmijn DeBoo and John
Callaghan.
Thank you for your kind attention!
Dennis C. Turner, IAHAIO
(and member of the Executive Committee, WSPA)