Stereotypes and Breeds

This blog post was written by a guest blogger.  Madison is 11 years old and has been attending HAWS Kids 'N Critter Camps for many years.  As a matter of fact she enjoys it so much she usually comes 4 or more weeks every summer. 

Madison is currently attending our Camp Gone to the Dogs in which a group of 3 campers is assigned an adoptable dog to care for during the week.  Yesterday Madison told me about something that she saw happen at the shelter that made her angry, and I asked if she would mind writing about it. Here it is in her words:

Hi, my name is Madison and I come to a lot of HAWS summer camps every year.  This week I'm in Camp Gone to the Dogs. 

While I was putting my dog back in his kennel there was a lady looking for a puppy, so one of the other campers told her to look at Bailey, and adorable pit bull mix puppy. 

The lady said, "Oh, you're cute!!!".  Then she looked at Bailey's information card and saw "pit bull mix".  The lady then said "pit bull mix! I thought you were cute!!!" in a snotty way. 

It shouldn't matter the breed of the dog; if the dog is cute, the dog is cute.  I felt sad for Bailey and angry at the lady for saying that about her.  I feel sad for Bailey and other pit bulls that may be getting passed up for adoption because of false stereotypes about the breed.  This is why people need to be educated about pit bulls and other misjudged breeds.  If this lady would have been educated or more open minded about pit bulls, Bailey could have had a much higher chance to get adopted soon. 

Camp at HAWS

Since HAWS accepts all different types of animals, we get many species that other shelters don't experience.  It makes it interesting to work here and interact with animals I would never have had an opportunity to work with otherwise. 

This means that the education department also has the opportunity to share our knowledge and interactions with many different types of animals with the participants of our programs.  Since we've just finished our third week of HAWS Kids 'N Critters Summer Camps, we've been able to do just that with the campers that are attending our programs. 

Domestic rats are a personal favorite of mine.  They get a bad rap because of the poor reputation their wild relations have, but they are actually wonderful pets.  Not only are they entertaining to watch as they move about their habitat, but they are extremely smart and social animals.  If they're used to being handled they are very snuggly, and can be taught to do tricks and come when called. 


A new species to me is the African Sidenecked Turtle.  I first learned about these guys when one was surrendered to HAWS a few months ago.  Native to Africa they can't pull their heads all the way into their shell, so turn their head sideways. 
Voodoo the snake isn't available for adoption, but rather an education snake on loan from a fellow employee.  The kids really enjoy Voodoo the corn snake.  While he's 4 feet long, he isn't very wide and easily handled, which is why corn snakes make such great pets.  Many of the kids are interacting with a snake for the first time when they meet Voodoo, and find out that not only is he not slimy, but he's actually pretty fun to handle. 

Don't get the wrong idea.  The campers get plenty of times with dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs.  But coming to camp allows them to learn about other types of animals as well.  And we still have room in many of our up-coming sessions.  So if you know an animal loving kid who wants to have fun this summer give us a call!

Ask the Dog

It's Dog Bite Prevention week, although I personally believe that we should prevent dog bites every week throughout the year. 

The purpose of Dog Bite Prevention week is to educate people so that dog bites can be prevented.  I've been a humane educator for 9 years, and have gone through a lot of educational materials with this goal in mind.  The information I give children is constantly evolving as I try to decide what is most important.  I try to keep in mind that too much material will cause the message to be lost, and less is sometimes more.

A common aspect of most dog safety presentations is to ask the owner of the dog if a child want's to approach and pet the dog.  This is a really great habit for both children and adults to get into.  Some dogs are not comfortable with strangers and some are nervous around children.  Asking the owner first allows the owner to keep the dog safe if this is the case. 

Recently I've started to incorporate a new part to my presentation.  It's fantastic to ask the owner, but there's someone else who should be asked before a child pets a dog, the dog himself.  While a dog can't respond with a verbal "yes" or "no", it's true that actions speak louder than words.  I tell children that they should be standing several feet from the dog and owner, and after the owner has given permission they should pat their legs and greet the dog.  If the dog wants to say "hi" he will come to them.  If he doesn't he may stay where he is or walk away from the child.  Either way he's letting the child know if he wants to be petted or just isn't in the mood.

One of the things I like about this is that many times I've seen children approach the dog, start to pet, and ask all at the same time.  By telling them to allow the dog to come to them they truly have to wait for permission before they can pet the dog.  And it's always safer to let a dog come to you, rather than invade the space of a dog who may feel insecure or anxious about being unable to avoid the interaction. 

The other thing I like about this practice is that it allows the dog a choice.  Part of humane education is to help children develop empathy for living creatures.  Asking the dog shows them that dogs have feelings and preferences just like people, and will show children the feelings of others are important. 

Feline Safety Part II

In the last post I talked about cat safety and mentioned some of the things that both kids and adults should know about cats in order to keep human skin safe, and to ensure that the cat is comfortable with an interaction as well.  Here are a few additional pieces of information. 

When cats are lying on their backs they are in a defensive position – they are NOT asking for a belly rub.  In this position they have use of all their weapons:  4 claws and teeth.  Leave your cat alone when he does this.   Yes -- this was in the last post, but it's important enough to state another time.  A lot of people get bit or scratched when they mistakenly think the cat is asking for a belly rub. 

 

When cats get wound up because they see other cats or animals outside the window stay clear.  Sometimes cats get frustrated because they can’t get outside at the other animal and might bite anyone who gets close to them.  This is very similar to a person who's having a bad day and is crabby to the people around them, even if those people have nothing to do with why the day is going so badly.  While dogs will also display redirected aggression on occasion, it is much more common in our feline friends. 

Cats don’t wag their tails like a dog, however you can tell how a cat is feeling by looking at his tail. A cat with a tail that is rapidly twitching or lashing it back and forth is agitated and should be left alone.  A cat who is happy and relaxed will have a relaxed body posture and will slowly twitch his tail.  

Below is a diagram on cat body language which illustrates a little better how to read your cat's mood.   Now go grab that fishing pole toy and have fun with your feline friend!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feline Safety

A lot of humane education and animal safety material focuses on dogs.  This is understandable because our canine friends are more likely to come into contact with more people than any other pet.  We take our dogs out for walks, have them accompany us to pet supply stores, take them when we visit other people's home, include them in our vacations, and they tend  to be out when visitors come to our homes.  It makes sense that we'd want to focus a lot of education about being safe around dogs when so many children will interact with both their own dogs, and dogs that belong to other people.

It's quite a bit more difficult to find material on cat safety.  According to the Association of Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), cats are the number one pet in the United States, with an estimated 74 million cats being kept as pets and out numbering dogs by 4 million.  Cats may not pose as great a danger as dogs since they generally are kept in the house, and often will hide if they feel threatended.  However cats can defend themselves if they feel a need to, and their teeth and claws can cause a lot of damage to a child. 

Parents and humane educators should spend some time speaking to children about how to behave around cats, not only so that children are safe, but also to allow the cat to feel safe and free from harassment in his own home. 

The first thing a child should know is that cats get to choose if they want to play or be petted.  If a cat walks away or runs and hides, the cat is letting you know that he want's to be left alone.  Not only is this a great cat safety message, but it is also a great way to help children understand about respecting others!

Children should also know that cats can vocalize when they are angry or annoyed.  A cat will hiss or even growl when they are upset, and just like a dog growling, a cat is warning you to leave her alone or else.   It's important to listen to this audible warning, because the next step most likely will be the cat biting or clawing in defense. 

Just like a dog cats should not be disturbed when eating or sleeping, and people should never use their hands in play.  Cats are predatory creatures, and during play they use hunting behaviors including use of their claws and teeth to grab their "prey".  Using your hands is a really good way to get your cat to unintentionally hurt you.  When playing with a cat a toy should always be used.  A really great toy to use with a cat is a fishing pole toy where a toy hangs from a strong off of a stick.  Not only will this keep your skin safe, but cats love the unpredictability of the toy moving back and forth and up and down. 

Cats don't use as much body language as dogs do, but what they do display is important for children to know.  One important cat posture is unfortunately not well known by most people.  When cats are on their backs with all four feet in the air it is not an invitation for a belly rub.  This is a defensive position where all five of a cat's weapons (teeth and 4 sets of claws) are available to use on an opponent.  Many people are bitten or scratched by cats because they make the mistake of reaching down to pet a cat's belly. 

I'll post more tips and information about cat safety in my next blog. 

HAWS Alumni Reunion with Lad Lake

The second semester of HAWS PETS program for the Lad Lake students (a school geared towards at-risk boys) has gone very well.  Many of the boys this semester are returning from the first semester session.

Back in October the boys had several opportunities to learn about puppy development and play with some of HAWS adoptable puppies. One litter in particular was a favorite.  It consisted of 7 white and tan roly poly little pups that all had  "Jack" in their name in some form or another.

One of the puppies returned for a visit recently with his new owner.  Jack Dempsey has been re-dubbed Leo and at 6 months of age is much bigger than the last time the boys met him when he was a mere 8 weeks.   One of the kids knew who he was immediately -- without being told that this was a puppy he'd met once before.  And the boys were delighted to see Leo and have an opportunity to get to know him again. 

Leo's visit allowed the boys to not only meet up with an old friend, but also to use their training experience.  Leo's mom wanted him to learn to greet people politely, instead of jumping as many adolescent dogs do.  Additionally she wanted him to get a little more confidence as Leo is currently going through a developmental fear period. 

The boys have worked with many adoptable dogs here at HAWS while enrolled in the program and it was great for them to be able to see what happens after the dog is adopted.  The value of their work has been reinforced because the boys saw that what they do at HAWS makes a difference, and that the dogs go on to have wonderful homes with really great owners. 

Rabbit on a Field Trip

 

HAWS adoptable Eleanor was kind enough to accompany me to Blair Elementary School in Waukesha for an after school program a few weeks ago.   The kids were really excited to meet Eleanor and learned a lot about rabbits as well. 

I started my visit talking about how fast rabbits can reproduce and the kids were amazed to find out that not only does HAWS take in a lot of rabbits, but that there are times we have more rabbits up for adoption than dogs or cats.   We talked about the fact that HAWS spays and neuters all of our rabbits before they go up for adoption, and how this helps prevent even more homeless rabbits from being born. 

Once Eleanor interacted with the kids they were amazed at how soft her fur was and how much she appeared to enjoy being petted.  Once they found out that as a prey animal rabbits are easily started by sudden movements and loud noises, the kids were very conscious of making sure they were quiet so that Eleanor was comfortable being with them. 

Some of the kids wanted to pick her up and were disappointed when I told them she needed to remain on the floor.  It made more sense to them as to why rabbits don't like to be picked up once I explained that the only reason a rabbit in the wild would be picked up is if an owl or coyote was going to carry them off for food. 

Eleanor had a really great outing that afternoon, and the kids learned a lot about rabbit behavior.  Now we just have to find a home so that Eleanor has a family of her own. 

Humane Education Dogs

My dog Mystic has served as an outstanding education dog in my work at HAWS for the last 8 years.    Mystic started his career when he was only 9 weeks old, and I set out to create the perfect dog to help me in my work.  I knew I needed a dog who would be friendly and outgoing, tolerant of stressful situations and handling, confident in new environments and when meeting new people, and calm around children who's energy level might be an eleven on a scale of one to ten.  He's met literally thousands of children and adults through humane education programs and has been a great example of what a well trained and socialized dog can be.

Mystic is not retiring -- not by a long shot.  But recently I added another dog to my family and I'd like to add the new puppy to my education programs.  Quinn was adopted through Minnesota Border Collie Rescue almost two weeks ago.  They were a great organzation to work with.  I told them what my future puppy would be doing as a humane education dog, and what kind of temperment the puppy should have.  They found a puppy they thought would work, and so far, so good. 

I've started Quinn's education by socializing him to as many people as I possibly can.   Socialization is extremely important for puppies before they are 14-16 weeks of age, and the process should make socialization fun, not scary for the puppy.  Quinn's socialization includes having new people get down on the ground and giving him food.  The idea is that by teaching him that new people have treats he'll start to look forward to meeting new people. 

Here's video of Quinn meeting some kids at Waukesha's Blair Elementary School last week.  The kids are all being appropriate, feeding his food down low and with the treats in the palm of their hands so fingers don't go into his mouth, and he's having a great time meeting him.  I look forward to giving frequent updates on Quinn's progress. 

Resisting Temptation

"Don't you just want to take them all home?" asked the mother of a girl scout whose troop was taking a tour of HAWS.  Our shelter would be well funded if we were given a nickle donation everytime one of our staff is asked that question. 

My very fast answer was no, and the woman was a bit taken aback in surprise, before she started chuckling. 

The truth is that to be a successful shelter employee you can't want to take them all home.  That kind of mind set ends up was the employee being frustrated or, even worse, an animal horder.   Burn out is very common in the animal welfare industry and shelter turn-over is generally very high. 

One of the problems with working in a shelter is that we see a lot of very heartbreaking cases, and there seems to never be an end to common animal welfare problems.  Just when you adopt out a few cats and gain some empty cages someone walks in with a litter of kittens.  When the dog that's been living at the shelter for 5 months finally gets a new home, there seems to be another to take his place.

But part of my job as a humane educator is to teach people about taking responsibility for their pets and making good choices.  I generally practice what I preach. 

I know that I can only afford 2 dogs and still be financially comfortable.  I know that I like very (some would say overly) affectionate dogs, and because I enjoy the training process I like very smart dogs.  Since I enjoy hiking I want a dog who has enough energy to go long distances several times a week.   And due to the fact that I spend a lot of time with other people who also have dogs I need a dog who is going to be very social with both people and other dogs.

I've come to realize that not all animals are going be a good idea for my home.  And over the years of working at HAWS I've seen so many success stories of animals that have found fantastic homes, that I don't feel the need to save them by taking them myself. 

HAWS is unusual in the animal welfare community in that we don't have a lot of turnover.  I've worked with the same people for the most part the last 8 years I've been employed here.  I think that's due in part to the fact that our staff really doesn't want to take them all home. 

Winter Camp and 1000+ Words

Last week HAWS held our annual Kids N Critters Winter Camp.  32 kids between the ages of 6 and 13 years of age attended and were able to spend time with animals, bake cookies with animal shaped cookie cutters, make pinecone bird feeders, and get a short sled time. 

I know that wasn't 1000 words, but I thought I'd let some of the photos taken during the camp do the talking for me.  In the meantime I get to start planning for our summer camp that starts in June, 2013.  Enjoy!

 

One of my first experiences with an animal shelter was a little more than 16 years ago.   At that time I had a sheltie and was considering getting another one.  An acquaintance  mentioned that she'd seen a sheltie at the local shelter.  The next day I stopped in to take a look.

By that time the dog I'd originally come to see had already been adopted, but I walked up and down the rows of caging looking at the other dogs that needed homes.  One of the dogs was housed in a cage on the second level of a stainless steel caging unit.  With her black and white markings and cute papillon ears, she was adorable.  When they took her out for me I knelt on the floor and she immediately put her front paws on my knees and leaned up to lick my face.  I was sold -- the next day Belle came home with me. 

When I think back to that visit it strikes me how much things have changed in animal sheltering in the southeastern part of Wisconsin.  

First of all, I was allowed to take Belle home without her having met my other dog at the time beforehand.  I don't know of any shelter in this part of the state that wouldn't require that the other dog(s) in the household meet the potential adoptee first.  This is to ensure as best as possible that the dogs will be compatible.  While it's difficult to predict this with 100% reliability based on a single meeting, now that I work at a shelter I can say that sometimes it rules out an adoption based on the extreme behavior by one or both dogs. 

Another difference is how Belle was being housed.  She was in a unit of cages on the second level -- something similar to how HAWS currently houses our cats.   In 2009 Wisconsin passed legislation unofficially dubbed the "Wisconsin Puppy Mill Law".  Aimed at improving the poor conditions in which many puppy mills keep their dogs, it applies to most animals shelters and rescues as well since it applies to any individual, business or organization selling 25 dogs or more a year.

The law dictates how big an enclosure should be for a dog based on the dog's size.   According to the current law, today the shelter would be required to keep Belle in an enclosure of 12 square feet -- much larger than the cage she was in when I first saw her. 

When I first started working at HAWS almost 9 years ago I heard stories of the way the dog kennels used to be about 5 or 6 years before that.  In those days every kennel was almost always filled, and most of the time our puppy pits contained at least one litter of unwanted puppies. 

Today we always have at least a few kennels, and many times only half of our dog kennels contain dogs.  It's very rare that a litter of puppies actually comes in -- and when we do have a litter of puppies up for adoption many times they were taken in from shelters in other areas of Wisconsin. 


Another change that I've seen occur at shelters in this area is an increased awareness for mental and physical exercise. All shelters that I know of have a volunteer dog walking program. As a matter of fact the new Puppy Mill Law requires that dogs got a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day. HAWS easily exceeds that with most adoptable dogs getting 2 or 3 walks, if not more, a day.

Most shelters also have some kind of program in place where dogs are given training or are on behavior modification programs. Not only does this make the dogs more adoptable, but it gives them an opportunity to use their brains, boredom, and allows them more time with people.

There are many more changes in animal welfare. While I've only talked about the changes for dogs, there are many extremely positive things happening for cats and other animals as well. The days of animal shelters being merely a "pound" where unwanted animals were housed with the hope that maybe they might get adopted are over. Shelters are doing a lot to make an animal's stay as positive as possible, and as a result give pets a better chance of adoption.

It's All Happening At the Zoo

Earlier this month the Critter Club took a field trip to the Racine Zoo for a program on careers with animals in a zoo.   After the program we spent quite a bit of time walking around and looking at the various animals in their exhibits. 

When we came to the bears I started reminiscing about going to the Milwaukee County Zoo as a kid with my family.  I happened to mention that we used to bring bags of marshmallows with us and entertained ourselves by throwing them to the bears.  The kids were amazed that the zoo allowed this, and it's a good reminder of just how far animal welfare has come.  Nowadays any zoo prohibits members of the public bringing food in to feed the animals.  And when you think about how many families visit a zoo on any given day, it clearly is not a good idea for bears to eat who knows how many pounds of marshmallows. 

The Milwaukee County Zoo was one of the early adopters of exhibits that attempted to provide animals with a more natural appearing habitat, rather than housing them in cages.  Over the years zoos have also become more aware of providing for their animals mental and emotional needs, in addition to their physical needs.  Good zoos have animal enrichment programs which allow animals to fulfill these needs. 

It makes sense when you think about the fact that in the wild an animal would spend most of it's waking time searching for food and some animals would also be searching for or building living space.  Captive animals have all of their needs provided for them, but they still have the instincts and habits in place that can cause extreme boredom and even depression if they aren't given an outlet for them.  

Zoos make an effort to constantly make changes to an animals environment, provide interactive materials as toys, and feed in such a way as to require the animal to hunt or forage their food.  Really great video and photo examples of these types of activities in zoos can be found at the Honolulu Zoo's website.

Zoos aren't the only organizations to make such changes to better the welfare of their animals.  In my next blog I'll talk about some of the changes that can be seen in animal shelters. 

Fears and Anxiety

Last Friday night we had a meeting for KHAWS -- a HAWS program for kids between the ages of 8 and 12 years of age that meets once a month.  The presenter this month was a dog trainer who came to tell the kids about dog sports, and she brought her very well behaved choclate lab to visit the kids as well. 

One of the kids who attends this program is a girl who was attacked by a dog when she was younger.  As a result she is terrified of dogs, and her mother enrolled her in KHAWS so that her daughter would have an opportunity to spend time with safe dogs in a controlled environment and hopefully, eventually get over her fear.

The mother stayed during the program and I was extremely impressed with how she helped her daughter.  The dog was about 25 feet from the girl at all times, but the girl was still afraid.  We left the door to an adjoining room open to her so that she would have, as she called it, a safe place to go when she was feeling overwhelmed with anxiety at the presence of the dog.  The little girl took advantage of the safe place any time she saw the dog move or even stand up from a down. 

At one point the presenter mentioned that her dog had developed a fear to something.  I overheard the mother telling the little girl, "See, even dogs are afraid sometimes".

By the end of the evening the girl remained in the room -- albeit at the 25 foot distance from the dog.  But the dog was up and moving, and being greeted by the other children, and the girl chose to remain.  Her mother remarked that her daughter's behavior around a dog was the best it's been that evening. 

As a dog trainer I'm well versed in helping dogs confront fears that they may have.  Common convention is that forcing a dog to confront something it's afraid of is the worst thing you can do -- it can backfire and cause the dog to be even more afraid than it was to begin with.  Dog trainers much prefer to work at what we call a "threshold" -- an exposure that causes the least amount of fear response from the dog, and as the dog recovers at a particular threshold we expose the dog to their fear item at a stronger and stronger threshold, until the dog is capable of coping with whatever previously caused them extreme anxiety.

Dog trainers also use "safe places" as well.  It provides an opportunity for a dog to remove himself if the threshold he's being worked at becomes a little too much for him.  A dog who is empowered to make his own choice when nervous is more likely to be able to deal with his fears.  A good example of a behavior modification model that uses this is Behavior Adjustement Training (BAT) developed by Grisha Stewart.

The empathy the mother displayed for her daughter and the decisions she was making on her daughter's behalf were right on target.  And it's a good reminder that no matter if you are a human being or an animal, we all have fears.  And what seems silly to one person (I can't imagine being afraid of all dogs) is very real to another.  So whether you're a dog who's afraid of men with beards, no matter how well intentioned the bearded man is, or a little girl who's afraid of dogs - no matter how well behaved the dog might be, it's not silly at all.  

Compassion and Kids

Wade might not be the cutest dog at HAWS.  And he certainly isn't the most playful.  But despite his disability, or perhaps because of it, he has captured the hearts of several of our Critter Club members. 

At last nights club meeting the middle school aged members spent part of their time at HAWS training some of the shelter dogs.  Like many shelters, HAWS has a large number of ill-mannered adolescent aged dogs that benefit from training to make their adoption more likely.  The kids greatly enjoyed working with the dogs during the training session. 

The last half hour of the meeting the kids were allowed to socialize the animal of their choice.  Out of all the animals they could have chosen, Jennifer and Caitlin were excited to be able to spend some time with Wayde - an 8 year old blind terrier mix.  Expressing their love for him and how wonderful they think he is, the girls quickly brought him into an interview room and spent the next 30 minutes telling him how wonderful he is, and giving him non-stop petting. 

One of HAWS goals in our education program is to instill empathy for all living creatures.  I don't know if the programs are working, or if we just happy to be attracting kids who are already outstanding animal ambassadors to our programs.  Either way, it makes me happy to see young people be able to appreciate an animal who isn't young, cute and energetic.  It's spending time with kids like this that make my job truly worthwhile.   

Lad Lake and Tink

The Lad Lake program has started up again.  This semester we have a great group of 6 boys who are enthusiastic and fast learners. 

One of the dogs assigned to one of the groups is Tink -- a very small Chihuahau.  The boys learned very quickly that training an adult small dog can be a challange.   Many times they are difficult to lure into a down position, and in Tink's case, she was also difficult to lure into a sit. 

Quite by accident the boys discovered that she does a beautiful play bow, and they spent most of their training session with her on Wednesday perfecting this trick.  Within no time Tink was not only bowing reliably, but holding it for over a minute at a time while the boys reinforced her with tiny Chihuahua sized treats. 

It was fantastic that the boys went from frustration to pride at what they were able to train this little girl to do.   I'm sure it will make them look forward to future sessions of dog training at HAWS.

Critter Club Starts Again!

Summer is over, camp is a not so distant memory, and with the start of the school year HAWS begins again with our fall programs.

One of my favorite programs is Critter Club -- a club for students in grades 6th through 9th, in which members learn about animals, do special animal related projects, and volunteer on Saturday mornings helping at HAWS. 

Last night was the first meeting night.  Critter Club consists of 15 students.  Ten of them are returning Critter Club members, which speaks to how much fun the kids had in their previous semesters in the program.  It's nice to see familiar faces -- I've really gotten to know these wonderful kids during the time I've spent with them.  And I look foward to getting to know the five new members this semester as well.

HAWS Education Assistant, Megan Katzuba, is new to Critter Club as well.  Last night she did a great job training the kids on cat socialization, despite the rowdy mood that came from the kids reuniting with students they hadn't seen since the end of the last school year. 

After the brief training session the kids were given a quick tour of the cat area, had a chance to look at all the adoptable cats, and were allowed to take some of the cats out for a little bit of play-time.   

I'm really looking forward to this year's group of kids.  Many of them have attended HAWS Kids 'N Critters camps over the years, and I've watched them grow into some amazing people.  They are the future of animal welfare, and it's wonderful to see that they are going into that responsibility.

HAWS Summer Kids 'N Critters Camp ended at the end of last week.  The building is certainly much quieter for the first time in 11 weeks.

The feedback from the parents and kids overall was extremely positive.  I've heard so many parents tell me what a great time their kids had -- even that out of all the activities the kids did over the summer, coming to HAWS was their favorite.  A lot of the kids are already planning on attending our camps next year. 

I went through some of the many (literally thousands) of photographs that my staff and I took throughout the summer to document what the kids did while they were here.  One of the things that struck me is how many different types of animals the kids were able to meet and learn about during their camp sessions. 

HAWS is a little unique in animal sheltering in that we will accept just about any kind of animal.  Many shelters handle only dogs and cats because they aren't set up to be able to accomodate the needs of other types of animals such as rabbits, pocket pets, birds and reptiles. 

While it's unfortunate that there is a great need for a place for all types of animals to go when their owners can no longer or aren't willing to care for them any more, the fact that HAWS does take in all different types allows us to use them as a learning opportunity in our education programs. 

Many times this means that we have to educate ourselves before we can pass this knowledge on to the kids.  Over the years I've learned about a lot of different species, but the Red Tail Boa we accepted a few weeks ago was a new one on me.  This one is only about 4 feet long, but full grown can end up to be about 10 feet long, and will weigh about 50lbs. 

Additionally the kids learn that all animals are not the same.  Different species need different care, require different habitats, display different behaviors, and require different handling.  Our campers learn about all these differences and get to see some of them first hand here at HAWS when they interact with the animals. 

Crowing about Kids 'N Critters Day Camp

He was supposed to be a girl named Ramona.  He ended up being a boy and was renamed Ray.  Because he was being picked on by all the other chickens, Ray the Rooster ended up being surrendered to HAWS.

Luckily for our campers this week Ray is friendly and personable, and gave the kids a great opportunity to learn about chickens, how they are cared for, and what kind of pets they make.  Camp counselor Brittany Tubbs has chickens and did a great job talking to the kids.  I learned that chickens eat a small amount of sand and pebble and that helps grind up their food in their digestive system.

Ray taught the kids why it isn't a good idea to keep roosters in urban areas, as he repeatedly crowed throughout the presentation. 

Kids Who Care

Earlier this summer the Pewaukee Park and Rec Department asked me to come and talk to kids who were participating in their summer program.  The kids wanted to learn what HAWS was all about because they were working on a project to benefit our organization.

At the time of the first visit the kids didn't know what they would do to help us since they were still in the planning stages of the project.   They were amazed to hear that we take in 6,000 animals a year and that in addition to dogs and cats we also take in a whole variety of different animals that people keep as pets.  The kids asked great questions, Mystic entertained them with a few tricks, and as I left the Rec staff promised to keep me informed of the outcome of their project.

Last week Mystic and I were invited to return, hear about the project, and accept the money that the kids had collected.  The kids were simply amazing.  They decided to do a car wash, and the day of the car wash turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer -- hovering around 100F.  The charge per car was $5.00, although many of the customers gave extra, and some people even donated money without getting their car washed.  The kids were ecstatic that their hard work paid off and they were able to collect $320.40 and in addition a box of items HAWS has listed on our wish list. 

Each of the kids also decided to sponsor a HAWS animal and made up a card with the animal's name and photograph on it.  They were very proud of their animals, and by the time I visited many of those animals had been adopted -- a fact that made the kids very happy.

Thanks to the kids of Pewaukee Park and Rec.  HAWS truly appreciates your support of the work that we do here, and the consideration you have for animals in need.

Baby Iguanas

HAWS currently has two of these cute little guys.  They were  brought in a couple of weeks ago by someone who had won them at at County Fair and decided they really weren't the kind of pets he wanted to keep.  That was a good decision.

As cute as these guys are, they really can be problematic as pets.  After all, who would believe that something so cute and so small could possibly grow to be  or 56 feet long and weigh 18 pounds?  

This is the first time I've ever seen a baby Iguana.  Usually HAWS gets them surrendered when they reach about two to three feet long.   This is when they start to require a much bigger cage than most people are able to provide. 

One of the things that appalled us at HAWS was the fact that these guys were given away as prizes.  Pets are meant to be members of a family and require knowledge of their care, and are a daily responsibility.  Because of this, those of us in the animal welfare field feel that getting a pet should take careful consideration and research before bringing the animal into the home. 

Handing out live animals as though they were fabric covered toys stuffed with sawdust is just reprehensible.   Getting a pet this way doesn't allow for the family to know what they are getting themselves into or prepare for their new arrival, much less make an informed decision.

It is also most likely inhumane for the animals being given out, since who knows how long they are carried around fairgrounds before their new owners decide it's time to go home.  And people who don't know much about how to care for their new pet may end up providing inappropriate or even dangerous housing for the animal, and feeding them something that might be unhealthy or even cause medical problems. 

I commend the man who brought these two little guys in and gave them to HAWS.  He was smart enough to realize that he wouldn't be able to provide the home they needed, and brought them to a place where they could obtain the proper care.  Hopefully we'll be able to find them a good home.  Does anyone want a six foot long reptile that will need an enclosure the size of a walk-in closet?  Do your research and then come to HAWS if you decide the answer is yes -- we have two to choose from.