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Students Tackle Dogfighting Cruelty

November 19, 2007


	©Stacie Whitlock
	The 6A KIND club at Stewarts Creek Middle School makes taking action for animals a priority.

When Stacie Whitlock's 6th-grade class at Stewarts Creek Middle School learned about the cruelty of dogfighting, they took the spirit of the Volunteer State to heart.

The 6A KIND Club students in Smyrna, Tenn., responded with an inspired letter-writing campaign to their local radio stations, asking them to air The HSUS' anti-dogfighting public service announcements.

The students' activism for animals paid off when they received a letter from WQQK 92Q Program Director Kenny Smoov, informing the class that his station had chosen to run the anti-dogfighting PSA out of the many hundreds of possible PSAs up for consideration every month.

Compassion on the Air

"Your letter writing campaign was highly effective in my decision to run this PSA," wrote Smoov. "Keep up the good work, and never forget that your voice is the most powerful thing you have. Always stand up for what you believe in!"


©The HSUS
PSAs publicize The HSUS's dogfighting reward program.

Slated to run for one month (Oct. 27 -- Nov. 27), The HSUS's dogfighting PSA announces a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of illegal dogfighters. Because of the students' hard work, this message is certain to reach thousands of people in the Volunteer State.

Tennessee is particularly important to the work confronting dogfighting, because organized animal fighting rings are deeply rooted in many areas of the South.

KIND Kids Make a Difference

But thanks to a growing public awareness and the proactive measures of conscientious citizens like Stacie Whitlock's classroom of kids, chances are improving that in the future fewer dogs will have to suffer and die at the hands of cruel dogfighters.

"A lot of times, kids feel helpless. They know something is wrong, but they don't know what they can do. I wanted to do something to empower them," said Stacie Whitlock. "When we got the letter from the radio station, they knew they really did do something to make a difference."

HSUS Rewards