By Ashley St. Michel
Staff Writer
    In an effort to teach children to empathize with animals The West Kennebunk Animal Welfare Society (AWS) started an after-school kids club for students who are passionate about animals. The Bands of Mercy Kid’s Club focuses on working with the animals, working on community projects aimed toward animal welfare and learning the history of the original Bands of Mercy Club.
    The first American Band of Mercy formed in 1882 under the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), and was comprised of a group of high school children who pledged to be kind to animals and to keep them from cruel usage according to the MSPCA Web site. Soon after the group was formed hundreds of Bands of Mercy groups formed nationwide and more than 250,000 children got involved.
    “I think it’s important for kids of all ages to realize that although animals are different from us we are so similar in so many ways,” Program Coordinator Carol Ann MacKinnon said. “It builds empathy, which is important to ensure the humane treatment of others.”
    Humane Educator Barbara Wilkinson teaches the 11 kids, who were not cleared to talk to press, how to work with animals effectively and start community projects that involve animal welfare. The club, which is already full, is one of several offered by the AWS. The Animal Welfare Society is a non-profit organization that can house more than 400 animals awaiting adoption.  According to their Web site, in 2006, 931 stray cats and kittens came into the shelter and only 52 were claimed. Out of 418 stray dogs 317 of them were claimed.  
    Last Monday, the kids learned what the difference is between good and bad dog behavior.
    “If a dogs tongue is hanging out of their mouth, or they are panting loud that usually means they are relaxed,” Wilkinson said. “If a dog smells you and then starts doing that, it’s usually an invitation to start petting the dog.”
    Wilkinson used a set of cards with pictures of dogs on them to point out different stances and different expressions. She said that if a dog is panting or holding its tongue in its mouth and breathing shallow, it usually means the dog doesn’t want to be touched.
    “Often times that means that the dog is feeling anxious,” Wilkinson said. She said that when dogs act anxious it doesn’t always mean they are angry or upset, sometimes dogs get anxious when they are in new areas or new situations. Wilkinson said that the shelter sees a lot of dogs who are anxious when they first come to the shelter. She said it’s better to walk and move slow around them
    “Sometimes there are dogs who just close their mouths,” she said. “By them closing their mouths, they are just kind of closing up. They don’t want interaction with you.”
    Wilkinson said if a dog’s ears are straight up and it is making eye contact with a person, it could be another sign that the dog doesn’t want interaction. She said if a dog stares too long at a person it could mean the dog is challenging for a fight.
    “If they are inspecting you really closely, if they are staring at you and their ears are up it’s usually a sign that you should back off,” Wilkinson said. “Just leave the dog alone.”
    She said another way to tell if a dog should be left alone is if the dog’s eyes are open wide.
    “When a dog pins its ears back and lips it licks and yawns around you, that’s when you know the dog is really submissive and relaxed,” Wilkinson said. She said that if a dog pins its ears back and closes its mouth it could mean the dog is scared.
    “It could mean that the dog is thinking if you come after me then I may nip you,” she said. Wilkinson said that any animal that wants to be left alone and isn’t will often bite because it becomes scared.
    Wilkinson said part of learning about dogs is learning the differences between being submissive-scared and submissive-good. Since the dog will use similar facial expressions for each of these, it is important to get to know the dog and its personality.
    After Wilkinson is done with the cards, the kids eat a snack and talk a little more about their own pets. On Monday, the kids hung out with Putter, a male beagle who has been at the shelter for more than three months. Wilkinson said that Putter came to the shelter with heartworm, but has fully recovered. She said there are certain ways to introduce yourself to a dog.
    “Dogs don’t use their sense of sight the way we do,” Wilkinson said. “They smell each other first.”
    She said that dogs smell more than 10 different hormones when they meet another dog for the first time. From this the dogs can tell all sorts of different things about each other.
    “Once they smell you they are going to tell you what they want,” Wilkinson said. She said it would be pretty obvious if the dog wanted you to touch it or if it didn’t.
    “Most dog bites happen because people don’t respect the wishes of the dog,” she said. “Most of the time a dog bites because the person is getting in the dogs face.”
    Wilkinson said it was important not to look, touch or talk to Putter when meeting him for the first time. The kids got to practice introducing themselves to the dog by letting it smell them first. After Putter had been around the room a few times, Wilkinson told the kids it was alright for them to pat him.
    Wilkinson said she hopes to eventually get in times for all the kids to individually walk some dogs.
    The kids also contributed ideas to what they wanted their first community project to be. Wilkinson said the shelter needed more cat beds for the upcoming winter months and thought it would be a good project to undertake first.
    For more information on the AWS or any of the educational programs they offer visit www.animalwelfaresociety.org.