Teacher's Pet w/ Cara Zelas

You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the other podcast platforms. New episodes post on Tuesdays.

How This "Little Dude" Dog Helps Teach Kindness And Empathy

About The Episode

Cara Zelas is originally from Australia and even used to be afraid of dogs. When she moved to New York, Cara and her now-husband became close friends with someone who had a dog – whom she fell in love with and not only got over her fear of dogs, but decided to get one of her own. The day after she got married, they brought one home. That dog was Little Dude, a Shih-Poo (Shih Tzu and Poodle mix).

At that time, Little Dude was only two weeks old (today, he’s eight years old). Someone who Cara knew told her that they thought he would be a good therapy dog, so she worked with The Good Dog Foundation – who helped train him and then connected Cara with facilities like hospitals and schools that have both kids and adults who are going through tough times. Little Dude comes in and does his best to help give them some relief, joy, and a momentary distraction.

Cara herself is an elementary-trained teacher. She taught Grade 4 in Australia and then trained to became a Montessori teacher when she moved to New York. So after having these experiences with Little Dog, it opened her eyes and inspired her to have Little Dude be a teaching tool for the young. Since kids love dogs, he could be a way for them to learn – through him – about social and emotional topics, such as kindness and empathy. And how little acts can make a big difference.

She brought this to classrooms, but it didn’t stop there. Cara has written a series of books, which is still ongoing with more to come. In addition, she has written a corresponding curriculum that either teachers or parents are able to use – even for online teaching.

It’d be hard to argue that the team of Cara and Little Dude hasn’t made a positive impact on society, their communities, and many people of all ages.

About The Guest - Cara Zelas

Cara Zelas is an early childhood teacher. While her dog, Little Dude, has changed her life in several ways – she's not the only one he's impacted. After training him to be a therapy dog through the Good Dog Foundation, they connected her with hospitals and schools to visit children and adults dealing with the trauma of disease, disability, and disaster. Little Dude provided them a level of comfort and relief during their hard times. Seeing that impact inspired Cara to bring Little Dude into more classrooms and use a dog, which kids always love, as a way to teach kids about kindness, empathy, and more. That our actions matter and even one little thing can make a big difference. She was inspired to write a set of curriculum and books around these findings and lessons, which she also shares online for parents (and other teachers) to be able to use for learning with their own kids – which are especially helpful when parents are trying to work on educational activities with their kids at home.

Featured Links

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