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In Etowah County, Alabama, community members are grappling with the news that two suspects—18-year-old Trenton Dewayne Sudberry and a minor—have been arrested after allegedly shooting at a dog for “target practice.” TeachKind, PETA’s humane education division, is stepping in to help.
Young Suspects Shot at a Dog on Video
The incident was caught on video, which shows an individual shooting a long-barrel gun at close range toward a dog who is tied by a very short rope or leash to a tree. The disturbing footage shows the dog, ironically named Bullet—whose family had been looking for him since he’d gone missing—clearly terrified, panicking, and frantically trying to escape.
Authorities identified the individuals involved and recovered Bullet, who was not physically harmed. They safely reunited the dog with his family, who said that the incident had caused psychological damage: “He’s traumatized. We were told to keep him away from fireworks, put some headphones on him if we have to. Just make sure he’s not around anything that’s not going to set him off.”
The suspects in this case have been charged with cruelty to animals, and TeachKind is reminding the community that education has the power to stop violence before it begins.
TeachKind Provides a Compassionate Solution
In a letter to the Etowah County School District, PETA offered resources to support the community with empathy-oriented education:
TeachKind provides free resources to support young people in processing such information and to assist leaders like you in preventing future acts of violence. We applaud your school district’s dedication to preventing bullying and providing mental health support, and we’re on standby to help enhance your existing programming. By acting now and adjusting your curricula for this fall, you can help prevent future acts of cruelty by helping young people understand that all sentient beings, including those who neither look nor behave like them, deserve respect.
To further help the district, we sent along various kindness-to-animals educational materials, including TeachKind’s “Share the World” program kit, which includes lessons that aim to teach young students the Golden Rule and the importance of compassion for all living, feeling beings. TeachKind also sent “Challenging Assumptions,” which helps examine discrimination and other social justice issues, for the district’s secondary students, along with a set of anti-bullying posters.
Read ‘Empathy Now’
Download ‘Share The World’
View ‘Challenging Assumptions’
As our letter notes, “Incorporating lessons and activities about kindness to animals into your curricula has the power to capture students’ attention, enhance their motivation, and resonate with their growing sense of empathy, all while achieving academic goals.”
TeachKind also offered to host virtual presentations for students by experts on various animal rights topics as well as to work directly with teachers.
Violence Against Animals Is Often Only the Beginning
As mental-health and law-enforcement experts well know, cruelty to animals and violence against humans are inextricably linked. In fact, 43% of perpetrators in school shootings have committed acts of cruelty to animals first.
But there is hope: A recent study on the connection between violence against animals and violence against humans concluded, “Teaching children to be more humane, compassionate, and respectful towards living beings can help reduce all types of violence.”
Support TeachKind’s Work to Prevent Youth Violence
Amid the current epidemic of youth violence, it’s critical that school districts take steps toward the prevention of violence by implementing humane education in classrooms. If you are an educator or know someone who is, visit TeachKind.org to download free humane education materials:
