Ipswich children and families learn to ‘speak animal’

Dogs and guinea pigs turned into teachers for a day at a recent RSPCA Queensland and Mission Australia empathy program for Ipswich families and children.

The Learn to Speak Animal program was well received by families and children participating in Mission Australia’s Referral for Active Intervention (RAI) - a six-month intensive intervention program designed to help families improve their safety and wellbeing.

The day was made up by a number of sessions, some fun and others about the serious issue of responsible pet ownership. The adults learned basic dog training techniques based on principles of positive reinforcement while the children created a guinea pig habitat and picked up tips on how to care for the pint-sized pets.

Participants were asked to consider how their own emotions could impact on others and they explored the issue of self-control.

Di Townsend, Mission Australia Service Manager RAI Ipswich, said everyone thoroughly enjoyed the challenges:

“During the day, the kids made habitats for guinea pigs and learned to care for them. The adults learnt basic dog training techniques – including how to interpret dogs’ body language and recognize emotions,” she said.

“The RSPCA animals had plenty of fun themselves – with lots of hugs and treats from the kids.”

Di added that while everyone had fun, all participants learned valuable lessons:

“We’re hoping the empathy learnt through this program can help strengthen families and improve children’s ability to interact with others.”

Why is empathy important?

Empathy is defined as the ability to recognise and respond appropriately to another’s emotional state. A number of studies have suggested that interactions with animals can be a bridge to improved interactions with humans. Training an animal to behave acceptably can promote a child’s self-control and patience and reduce violent behaviour.

Combining promotion of humane values with hands-on animal interaction and training, RSPCA Qld’s Empathy Program aims to have a positive impact on human behaviour exhibited towards people and animals.

For more information about RSPCA Qld’s education programs please email education@rspcaqld.org.au or call (07) 3710 9806.