|
|
Animal friends
Children and their families can do many things to help animals at the
Pioneer Valley Humane Society, at school, and in their own neighborhood.
Here are a few ideas and projects that can help create a more humane
community.
In Your School:
- Start an animal club.
Begin a club with some friends who want to help like you do. Create
bookmarks with humane messages to use in the classroom. Produce a
newsletter about animals for your school.
- Suggest a class project
.
Clean up a local habitat, like a stream, pond or park.
- Ask your librarian to select books
about animals to be displayed during Be Kind to Animals Week (the first
full week of May).
- Learn all you can about animals.
Check your library and the Internet for information about pets and
wildlife. The more you know, the more you can share.
- Plant trees and shrubs
on your school
grounds to give birds, butterflies, and squirrels a welcome place to hang
out.
- Put out a bird feeder.
Keep it clean
and stocked with seed.
- Teach another child
what you know
about animals.
- Classroom animals need someone
to
take care of them on weekends, during holidays and all summer.
In Your Community:
- Cook for a cause
.
Have a party and make homemade dog or cat treats for your pets or for the
pets at the Pioneer Valley Humane Society.
Spread the word.
Find out about the services provided by PVHS and be an animal
ambassador in your community.
Be aware of your surroundings.
Be on the lookout for animals who may need your help. Report injured dogs
and cats that you find to animal control, and injured wildlife to a
wildlife rehabilitation center so that they can be rescued.
Keep your cats indoors or stay with
them when they are outside to protect them from traffic and unkind people.
Sell a service. Hold a bake sale,
yard sale, recycle aluminum cans or have a play, talent show or run a fun
house and contribute proceeds to the PVHS.
Don’t purchase a dog or a cat from a pet store
or backyard breeder. Instead adopt animals that need homes from your local
shelter.
Make posters. Volunteers can create
colorful posters on a variety of themes for the PVHS." Spay and neuter
your pets", "Leave wildlife in the wild", "A pet is for life". Use your
imagination to come up with some original humane slogans of your own!
Organize a drive.
Organize a toy,
towel or animal food drive for the community. Put a marked container in
high traffic area for people to see. Give the collected items to the PVHS.
Visit the woods.
Sit quietly under a tree. Listen and watch for wild animals, and
enjoy them in their own environment.
Leave wildlife in the wild.
That
includes toads, frogs, snakes, turtles and caterpillars.
Get the community involved.
Ask local
businesses to spread the word about caring for animals. Organize a dog
wash in your community and ask for donations and sponsorship.
Prevent lost pets. Hold a photo
session and take pet pictures for neighbors to keep on file to use on
posters case their pet becomes lost. Also, make sure all your pets have
proper and current identification tags.
Speak out.
Write letters to local
newspapers or magazines that you read, about the importance of animal
protection, responsible pet ownership, or other animal issues that you
feel strongly about.
At Home:
- Keep your pets healthy
.
Make sure your pets visit the veterinarian
each year for an exam and vaccinations.
Get your animal’s spayed/neutered.
There are already too many animals looking for homes at your local humane
society!
Ask your parents not to use harmful
chemicals in your garden or home.
Be a responsible pet owner. Make time
every day to play with and exercise your pets. Let your cats and dogs
live inside with you, where they want to be.
Train your pet to be a good companion.
Pets need patience and guidance, not punishment, to train them about your
house rules, basic obedience, and good manners.
Send a card or draw a picture for someone who
has lost her or his pet. Anything you can do to let them know
you understand how much their pet meant to them.
Check your car.
During the summer
months indoor/outdoor cats like to hide in the shade under cars, check
around your car before you back up.
Talk to your friends and family. Let the people in
your life know that you are an animal ambassador. You can help educate
people about animals, and congratulate yourself on all your hard work! |
