Photo by HEART
Kate Aubry (right) brings her adopted “freegle†Juno, a beagle freed from a New Jersey laboratory, to after-school program that educates kids about the widespread practice.
Kate Aubry and her adorable freegle Juno were hard at work on Friday preparing to teach kids how to shop. That is, to help their families learn how to shop with more compassion.
The eager duo was set to talk to animal-loving kids in an after-school program at the Animal Haven Shelter in SoHo about the use of laboratory animals and how each of them could help end the widespread practice.
The children in the Caring Kids program are already keenly aware of the abuses against animals, and animal testing is just another piece of the puzzle, said Aubry, who planned the humane education event as part of World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week.
Its a subject thats been close to Aubrys heart since July 2010, when she adopted Juno then a skittish and nameless beagle whose only source of identity was the federal ID tattoo inked on her ear.
Juno was one of 120 beagles freed from a bankrupt New Jersey laboratory and transported by rescuers at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Before their arrival at the Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary, in upstate Middletown, the dogs had spent their entire lives caged in a laboratory that used animals to test the safety of cosmetics and other household items.
She had never felt the sunshine on her face or the grass beneath her feet, said Aubry, who lives upstate with Juno, her two college-age sons and their tw o other rescue dogs, Max and Raven. The 5-year-old Juno had to learn to walk on a leash and do her business outside.
Today, Aubry lives by the words she preaches. She and her sons use only products from shampoo and toothpaste to detergent and baked goods that havent been tested on animals.
Now, shes eager to spread the word to young people around the country.
As part of that effort, she created Junos Compassionate Shopping Guide, which lists more than 1,500 companies that dont use animal testing.
The free guide is available at www.JunoRescuedBeagle.com.
The Caring Kids program at Animal Haven is run by the Humane Educator Advocates Reaching Teachers (HEART), a nonprofit group that aims to foster compassion and respect in children toward not only animals, but to other people and the environment.
It encourages kids to think about their responsibility to the Earth and its inhabitants, and deepens their awareness of the global cons equences of their actions, said executive director Meena Alagappan.
This summer, ASPCA will be co-sponsoring a four-week Have a HEART
summer camp, where more than 30 fifth- and sixth-grade students from Hunts Point, Bronx, will learn about important animal issues and how to help promote positive change in their community.
HEART conducts many school-based programs in New York City as well, where instructors teach animal-focused lessons to K-12 classes. For info, visit www.teachhumane.org.
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