Crafts for Cats

Coming into an animal shelter is very stressful if you're an animal.  Being in an unfamiliar place with different smells, new people constantly interacting with you, loud noises and being confined are all things that make it difficult for a shelter animal to feel comfortable and secure.

HAWS does everything we can to try and make animals feel more relaxed.  We have volunteers take them out of cages for snuggle time and exercise, we ensure that all animals have toys, and we try to make sure that they have a comfortable place to sleep.

Frequently I get calls from kids groups wanting to make items that HAWS can use for our animals.  We have a whole list of projects ranging from super easy to requiring a lot of time and skill.  But one of our most appreciated crafts are no-sew blankets which are fantastic for our feline guests to cuddle in.

HAWS Critter Club Members and the blankets they made.

 No-sew blankets are made from fleece, which means the fabric can be cut and won't fray.  Additonally fleece is very soft and comfortable.  By cutting strips on the edges of two pieces of of fleece laid back to back, and then tying those strips together, you can create a double thickness blanket with fringes around the edges.

HAWS loves these blankets because they are a great size to fit into our cat cages, and because they are easy to launder.  The cats love these blankets because they are soft and comfortable.

Our Critter Club members just made some blankets for our cats.  As we start heading into our busy season for feline intake those blankets will get a lot of use!

Amazing kids!

At the beginning of the school year I received an email from Randall STEM Academy saying,

"Our 2nd/3rd graders are doing a unit on Community. Their final project will be for them to work in small groups and carry out a service project to help the Waukesha community and be good citizens. 

We are looking for representatives from Waukesha area service groups to come in and explain what the group does to help the community and how kids can be involved (either now or in the future)." 

Of course I went and talked to the kids and had a really fun time talking about HAWS and what we do here.

A few weeks ago I received another email from the teacher saying they were holding a service expo and that the students would like to show the representatives from the non-profits what they had done.  I attended that expo on Wednesday.

As I walked into the media center I saw that groups of kids were surrounding tables that were labeled with the name of the non-profit that the group had chosen to help.  I walked past several tables looking in the sign that said HAWS, and started to wonder if maybe none of the groups had chosen us for their project.

As I came around one of the tables I looked up at a doorway leading into another room and saw tabled the the door frame "HAWS".  We didn't just get a table, we had a whole room because about 8 groups of kids had chosen us!   I was immediately touched and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the desire that so many 2nd and 3rd graders had to want to help the animals of Waukesha County.

I approached one of the groups and introduced myself and asked to see their project.  They were thrilled to see me, excited to show me the video they had created to promote their project, and proudly presented me with a plastic baggie, telling me that it held $43.00.

As I spoke to the next group I started getting tugs on my arms with children from other parts of the room asking me to come see their project.  I assured all the students that I was planning on visiting every table.  Every group of kids was proud of the video or slide show they'd created, and even more proud of the results, since every group had collected items from HAWS wishlist.

I hear sometimes that kids today are being raised to be selfish and materialistic.  I think the Randall STEM 2nd and 3rd graders prove that just isn't true. 

Below is a video I created for the students.  Our staff and volunteers truly appreciate their hard work!

Creative Projects for HAWS

I have many wonderful teachers in Waukesha County that contact me on a regular basis to come and speak to their classrooms. Most of teachers use my visit to teach their students about giving back to the community, and work on a classroom service project to benefit HAWS.

Of of these teachers is Ms. Killian-Janicek at North Junior High School in Menomonee Falls. Once again students in her Creative Projects class made beds and toys to benefit HAWS (seen in the photo with Mystic). As someone who is totally devoid of any sewing skill whatsoever, I'm in awe of the beautiful work -- which must have taken them hours and hours.

Thank you Ms. Killian-Janicek and your students!

An A-typical Typical Day in Humane Education

Yesterday was a very busy day for our education department (that means me!) In the morning I spent time in Watertown with meter readers for WE Energies talking about how to read canine body language and things they can do to keep themselves safe from dogs they encounter while on the job.

In the afternoon I visited Richmond School in Sussex to speak to an assembly of 200 children from grades 5-8 about careers with animals. After the assembly I met with two groups of 7th graders who are working on a service project for HAWS. Because it's near the end of the school year they intend to continue their work next semester.

In the morning it was my pleasure to greet visitors from Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School in Milwaukee. The children were 4, 5 and 6 year old from the early childhood program. Initially their teacher had wanted me to visit there with some animals. Because we primarily serve Waukesha County I wasn't able to accomodate this request. Luckily they were able to bring the children to HAWS.

The children had a tremendously fun visit. They got to learn about what we do here at HAWS, went on a mini-tour, and met many of our adoptable animals.

They were fascinated by the domestic rats, enthralled by the guinea pig and delighted by the cats I brought out for them to visit with. As usual I saved the best for last, and Mystic entertained them with his many tricks.

There is something very satisfying about educating such a vast range of ages. One of the things I truly love about my job is that no two days are ever the same, and that I get to interact with people from ages 2 on up.