Information provided by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (www.peta.org) & The Healing Species (www.healingspecies.org)

Why Humane Education?

Youth who are violent to animals rarely stop there! Violent acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathy that does not confine itself to animals (See "Link Between Animal Abuse & Violence"). Teaching students to have empathy for other beings is essential to raising kind, compassionate citizens. Humane education should be an essential part of a student's education as it reduces violence and builds moral character in the following ways:

• empowering students to take responsibility for their actions
• helping students to apply the concepts of respect and kindness toward animals in their own lives
• inspiring students to become active participants in helping animals and others

The Healing Species - An award-winning character education/violence prevention program (www.healingspecies.org)

Cheri Thompson, founder and director of the Healing Species became interested in crime prevention about seven years ago when she saw a severely neglected dog living in someone’s back yard. She named the dog Gravey because her mange was so fully developed, that her entire fur-less body was covered with bleeding scabs. Gravey, you see, had one foot in the grave. At that moment, Cheri had a realization. The people who had Gravey in their yard could see Gravey with their eyes, but could not see Gravey with their hearts. Cheri rescued Gravey from the neglect and got her emergency veterinary care. 
 
With her newly adopted dog Gravey at her side as inspiration, Cheri Thompson was now motivated to learn about the relationship between animal cruelty and human violence. As a law student, Cheri spent several years conducting personal interviews with convicted violent offenders.
 
She discovered that all of the violent offenders she personally interviewed had two things in common:

   1) they were abused as children and
   2) they first acted out abuse on an animal.

This realization led to the founding principles of the Healing Species.
 
Thompson gave up practicing law in 1999 and has since served without salary as the Executive Director of the Healing Species. By dedicating tireless time, energy, and passion to launch this program, she raised funds and now has five full-time instructors that go into schools teaching the Healing Species Violence Intervention Program.

By bringing gentle animals into the classroom, children are taught the message of compassion and kindness, which boosts their self-esteem and teaches them that they are special and can reach their dreams.  If their hearts have been broken as victims of abuse, then they learn to heal their hearts by kindly tending an animal, rather than continuing the pattern of abuse by returning cruelty and anger to another person or animal.  These acts of kindness open up a new world of positive reinforcement and self-esteem building traits.

What They Do

Program Results & Case Studies

Email Cheri Thompson for information on how to bring The Healing Species to your community!