Serving Our Community
Whether it’s at our shelter, in the classroom or on the road throughout the county, we are committed to providing quality education and outreach programs that benefit the pets and people of our community.
We offer a number of educational and fun opportunities for kids to interact with animals and learn about life here at the BCHS! From exciting programs where kids get to experience animal care and handling firsthand to craft projects and summer camps to support the animals at the shelter, there’s something for every child.
Animal Education for Students
Add some furry excitement to your curriculum with BCHS classroom visits, assembly programs and field trips!
All of our classroom programs provide age/grade appropriate lessons. Thanks to a grant from Tails Than Teach (tailsthatteach.org), we are able to provide children in Pre-K – 2nd grade with a book called “Love Me Gently” while teaching children kindness, compassion and empathy.
BCHS Field Trip
Plan your next field trip to our shelter and your students will get a behind-the-scenes look at how we rescue, care for and adopt out animals in need. After the exciting tour, your students will love a customize hands-on learning activity that fits your current curriculum. Add on Reading Fur Fun in our open cat room— a great way for students to build reading skills and give our pets some fun attention, too.
Badge Scout Earners
Are you a scout needing to earn your animal badge? This workshop offer children ages 8-12 the unique opportunity to learn real-life skills in the fields of dog or cat care. During this 90-minute workshop, kids will learn about the many jobs involved in running a shelter including animal behavior, husbandry, enrichment, and medical care. The Butler County Humane Society’s staff will present to participants on a variety of animal care fields as well as humane and respectful ways to interact with animals. Children will also get to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the shelter and learn more about the Butler County Humane Society.
Shelter Buddies Reading Program
Children in grades 1st – 8th are invited to read in our open cat room to boost confidence and learn about respectful, humane treatment for all animals. Not only does this make reading fun, it also builds a child’s confidence in reading aloud.
The Shelter Buddies Reading Room is available two Sunday’s a month from 11AM – 2PM. We ask that you call us at 724-789-1150 to schedule your reading appointment as we only offer them on certain Sundays! You can also visit our Facebook Events Page to see which dates are scheduled!
At-Home Volunteer Projects
The Butler County Humane Society has a special youth project program to enable kids to help our animals. Kids are invited to make simple toys and treats for shelter animals. Grab our instructions and get started.
Book a Shelter Tour or Presentation
Age-appropriate tours and presentations are available to students, scouts and other community groups. Presentations can be held onsite at the BCHS or at your location. Tours are conducted onsite at the Butler County Humane Society.
Student requests for school projects
We frequently receive requests from students for information about our services and animal welfare issues for classroom projects. With advance notice, we may be able to offer students up to 30 minutes with a BCHS staff member for gathering information needed for a classroom project. This can be done via phone, email, or in person.
*We cannot accommodate requests for:
- Projects requiring filming, including documentary projects
- Job shadowing of any kind
- Last-minute needs
If your request fits within the parameters of what we are able to accommodate, submit your request to info@butlercountyhs.org.
Please allow a minimum of 48 hours for a BCHS staff member to respond once the request has been submitted. A scheduled appointment is required and we will do our best to schedule students within 1-2 weeks of the request.
Much of the information students need can be found on our website, and we encourage students to gather as much information as they can before submitting a request for assistance.