Local Youngsters Look to Spread Kindness to their Furry Friends

There's a lot of buzz at the Goddard School in Monroe this week. Parents are walking in with their children carrying garbage bags busting at the seams with cans and bottles and the tables in the front lobby have been turned into a sort of makeshift information station on foster dogs and adoption. The Hippo class, one of two Pre-K classrooms at the Goddard School, is hosting a bottle and can drive to support a local charity, Furry Friends Foster and Rescue. In the classroom, the four year olds discuss what it means to be kind. Things like "hugging someone when they get hurt," "helping my Dad feed the dogs" and "playing with someone if they are lonely," come up as ways of expressing kindness. As part of the weekly theme, the hippos are learning just what it is to be kind and in turn want to spread some kindness to dogs in foster care. That is where Furry Friends Foster and Rescue comes in. FFFR is a Monroe based rescue compromised solely of volunteers and those who have offered up their homes to serve as temporary loving "shelters from the storm." FFFR pulls dogs mostly from CT pounds and houses them in foster care while a suitable home can be found. The rescue does not discriminate against dogs with behavioral issues or medical conditions nor does it exclude particular breeds. This is a key component for teaching about kindness because it shows the children that everyone matters. A board member with FFFR visited the Hippos on Tuesday afternoon to talk to them about fostering and adoption and the children were eager to learn and share their own dog stories! The school has bins in the front of the building for people to donate their redeemable cans and bottles and will be collecting them for the remainder of the week. 100% of the money raised will go towards medical care and supplies for dogs in the rescue. For more information about Furry Friends Foster and Rescue, please visit www.furryfriendsct.org. Lets help these kiddos spread some kindness to this wonderful local charity!