Yellowknife (May 07/04) - It didn't look like Isaac the retriever was in any danger as he romped through a Kalemi Dene classroom last week.

That's not always the case with domestic pets though, according to the SPCA, which is why the school is in the middle of a pilot project to promote safe pet-handling by kids in Yellowknife.

"There's a huge number of kids who don't know how to take care of dogs and don't know how to appreciate them," said Janet Pacey of the SPCA.

Playing too roughly with animals and neglecting to walk and feed them are common behavioral problems seen in children, said Pacey.

"Generally kids tend to treat animals like property. It's a crime to hurt them and they should be treated with respect," she said.

The Grade 3-5 Kalemi Dene school class meet with SPCA volunteers Kate Southworth and Ingrid Nielsen every two weeks to watch videos and learn tips on animal care.

Last week, Isaac the retriever ran from desk to desk showing off his sniffing skills to students. The dog visits are meant to teach the kids proper animal handling in a hands-on way. For the SPCA, the project has awesome potential to stop the neglect that lands pets in its facility every day, says Pacey.

Pacey is planning an expansion of the program for September. There are currently no animal education programs in area schools. "(We) want to bring it in to all the schools," she said.