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Lafayette Animal Aid is committed to decreasing pet overpopulation in the Acadiana area through proactive education with the community about spay/neuter programs, responsible pet ownership, and adoption resources.  Lafayette Animal Aid endeavors to positively impact children’s perceptions and attitudes about pet ownership by offering in-school extracurricular education to Acadiana-area 4th- and 5th-grade students.

If your school or community program is interested in partnering with LAA to spread animal rescue awareness and education, please contact LAA at lafanimalaid@yahoo.com.  This is the easiest way to support animal rescue awareness and contribute to the first no-kill community area in Louisiana!

The Importance of Spay & Neuter:

The most proactive step to reducing pet overpopulation in the U.S. is responsible spay and neuter of all pets.  Join our mission by educating your friends and family about the benefits of spaying and neutering.

“I Read to Animals”

Lafayette Animal Aid was awarded a grant by Junior League of Lafayette to support its “I Read to Animals” program, modeled after the original successful program by Best Friends Animal Society.

The program is a hands-on outreach to young children organized by the LAA Education Committee. The program provides a humane education lesson along with the opportunity for children to read to animals to develop self-confidence, practice their reading skills and learn about kindness and compassion towards animals.

There are no corrections here. The kids read and the dogs listen. Reading sessions are sometimes so calming, that the dogs become relaxed and fall asleep. It truly is a unique bond between the child and the dog.  After reading, each child adopts a stuffed animal to take home as their reading partner.

The  program has already been very successful in the Lafayette community.

“It really develops self-confidence for young readers, but animals also benefit,” says Education Coordinator Deborah Clothier. “There’s great interaction with the animals, and the kids achieve a nice comfort level reading to the animals because it’s one-on-one – without adult interaction – in a safe environment.”

The session begins with a lesson about animal kindness, dog safety or adopting shelters – just about any topic that helps the children understand more about animals and the care they require. Then each child takes a turn reading to the animal.

“Reading to animals might seem strange to adults, but the kids catch on right away and think it’s cool,” Clothier says.  She’s always encouraged by how well the kids respond to the program.  ”For some kids, this is the first time they’ve ever touched a dog and felt the unconditional affection and attention that only a dog can offer,” she says.  ”It’s a real confidence booster for them too!”