After Dog Attack, PETA Pledges $5,000 to Amarillo FFA With Conditions

Recently, Amarillo's Caprock High School FFA faced a heartbreaking tragedy. Dogs got into the pens of the show animals and killed or injured all of them.

Read More: Amarillo Students Lose FFA Animals in Dog Attack

Students were left to pick up the pieces after seeing all their hard work disappear in minutes. Parents of these students went to social media to ask for help and created a GoFundMe account. Since the incident, they have raised nearly $8,000 to help recoup the cost and build a better and more secure barn for these students to keep their animals.

Other fundraisers have also taken place, including a fundraising night at Bubba's 33, a hamburger cookout hosted by Rancher's Supply, and donations from other businesses such as animal feed. The community has truly come together to help these students.

Another organization has stepped up to help Caprock FFA, though its offer comes with conditions

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, reached out to the principal of Caprock High School, along with the Superintendent of Amarillo ISD, among others, offering $5,000 through their TeachKind program.

What is TeachKind?

TeachKind is a program that works with schools and educators to promote kindness and empathy toward animals.

In the letter, PETA wrote:

TeachKind is ready to donate $5,000 to Caprock High School to facilitate the transition from an animal-based agriculture program to a forward-thinking, fully plant-based one.

The letter went on to say that most students are drawn to FFA because of their love of animals. It also stated that eventually the goats and sheep would have experienced the same fate at the end of the program.

When FFA projects end, most animals are sold at auction, usually for slaughter or used as “breeders,” only to be slaughtered once they are no longer considered profitable.

The letter claims that these students don't fully understand the fate of the animals after being sold.

Read More: Exploring The Tensions: PETA's Struggles In Amarillo Exposed

They are encouraging Amarillo ISD to develop a program for plant agriculture and to explore science-based solutions to climate change, food insecurity, and environmental justice.

We respectfully urge the Amarillo Independent School District to end the use of animals in its agriculture program and embrace this opportunity for innovation, compassion, and leadership.

You can read the full letter here.

We reached out to Amarillo ISD for a response to the PETA letter and to ask about steps being taken to improve the safety of the barns where the animals are kept.

In a statement to us, Amarillo ISD said:

We appreciate the outpouring of support for the students who lost animals at the ag farm last week. The District has received numerous inquiries from caring community members who want to help. The best way to do that is to make a donation to the Amarillo Education Foundation, which will, in turn, support the impacted students through scholarships.

In an area like Amarillo, surrounded by livestock agriculture, programs that teach students how to properly raise and care for animals will remain because they are a vital part of the industry. FFA also teaches horticulture, which focuses on plant agriculture.