Humane Education: Why We Do It & What We Offer

At Pets In Need we believe that children are future Animal Advocates, so we are giving them a head start by offering some exciting Humane Education programs. By doing so, we hope to reduce animal homelessness through teaching about spay and neuter, eliminate surrenders by educating about proper animal care and behavior training, and socialize our animals during corporate and school visits.

Among our youth programs is Camp PIN Pals, which provides week-long themed camps filled with educational activities, crafts and games, interaction with our animals, and tons of fun! Camp PIN Pals is designed to provide a fun and engaging experience for kids and an opportunity to learn more about animals.

We also offer birthday parties. These hour and a half packages include games, activities, and plenty of time socializing puppies and kittens.

Girl Scouts are welcome to come and earn their pet badge and animal helpers badge with us. During their visit, scouts will learn all about pets and how to care for them. They will also be able to get creative and make enrichment toys for our animals. Additionally, scouts will become familiar with all the ways in which animals help humans.

Lastly, we run a Shadow Program that is geared towards teens interested in learning about shelter operations. Children aged 13-17 are invited to shadow staff members and learn the ins and outs of working at a shelter and caring for animals. This one-day programs allows teens to learn about how to provide medical care to animals, adoption best practices, and how to effectively market shelter animals.

And for our corporate friends, we have a few programs as well. Try out our Yappy Hour, Tails and Techies or Bankers and Barkers walks. Our Corporate Volunteer Programs allow corporate employees to spend a day at their own work learning about our mission and volunteering with our animals. Your team will walk dogs, learn about behavior training, and socialize animals while you learn about what we do and what we hope to accomplish, with your support.