Conversations with Campers

Lucky 4 Leaf Clover

Last week we held Camp Gone to the Dogs for kids between ages 10 and 14 years.  One group was sitting on the grass with their dogs and I stopped by to chat for a bit.

"Are there such things as 4 leaf clovers?" asked one of the girls.

I told her that there were, but they were pretty rare which is why people considered them lucky.  Then I walked off to check in with another group of kids.

A little while later I walked past the first group.  "She found a 4 leaf clover!" one of the kids excitedly yelled.

"Really?  Show it to me," I said hurrying over. 

"Oh, I threw it away already."

How to Tells the Boys from the Girls

Another amusing conversation happened at this week's camp.  Assistant Educator Megan and I were in with a group of kids who were playing with kittens.  One of the kids asked how we could tell the boys from the girls.  Instead of my standard answer, "Boys have boy parts, and girls have girl parts", I decided to make her think a bit.

"Well, how do you know you're a girl and not a boy?" I asked.

"I have long hair", was the reply.

"Ok, well when babies are first born and they don't have hair, how does the doctor know it's a boy and not a girl?"

The little girl thought, and thought. I could see the wheels spinning in her head and I assumed she had it figured out.

"Well, boys have blue blankets and girls have pink."

Rearranging Our Schedule

I have to admit that creating a schedule for our camp sessions is something that I dread.  We have 40-some kids split up into 5 groups so that they get more one on one time with the animals and so that they can get more out of activities.  Needless to say it gets complicated making sure that each group gets to experience the same things and figure out where each group will do their individual activities in the building without disrupting other campers or the regular business of camp.   Additionally I have to make sure that the kids have a learning experience here at camp since our goal is that they come away from their time at HAWS with respect and responsibility for animals. 

That being said, sometimes my carefully crafted schedule gets disrupted and the counselors are forced to be flexible enough to roll with the changes.  Last week we had one such event when HAWS Mobile Adoption Coordinator, Johanna Schmanski was kind enough to bring her foster kittens in for the kids to meet. 

Summer time at HAWS is what we call "kitten season". It's the time of year when tons of kittens are brought in from all over the county.  Many of these kittens are too young to go up for adoption and are farmed out to foster homes until they're old enough at 8 weeks of age to return and find their new homes.  Some of these kittens are too young even to eat solid food and need to be bottle fed.

Johanna's fosters happened to have been bottle babies, and so it was a great opportunity for the kids to learn about how foster homes care for very young kittens -- feeding them every 3 hours by bottle, helping them to potty by stimulating their bottoms, and how much work it is to care for them.

The kids were enthralled and thrilled when they were given a chance to feed the kittens themselves.  And it was worth the disruption of my carefully planned out schedule.

A Conversation with a Camper

The main focus of HAWS Kids 'N Critters Day Camps is to educate children about animal welfare issues, one topic being what it means to be a responsible pet owner.  We have many games and activities that help emphasize such things as doing research before bringing a pet home, ensuring that a new owner has appropriate supplies, providing exercise, grooming and cleaning.

Sometimes, however, the best educational moments are during periods of down-time.  The other day I sat with the kids as they played with a cat and a little girl started a conversation with me about a problem she was having with her parents.  Apparently she wanted to get a kitten and her parents had told her they would purchase kitty litter and food, but that she'd have to figure out a way to provide veterinary care.  She wanted to know if she could get her future kitten spayed or neutered at HAWS for free or for just a small amount of money.

I explained to her that HAWS provides low cost spay and neuter to people who are on government assistance (Social Security, Disability, etc), but that because her parents both have jobs and can afford pet care we couldn't do the same for her.  I also explained that kittens need more vet care than just spay and neuter.  Her kitten would need vaccinations, and may need such things as medicine to get rid of ear mites and intestinal parasites.  HAWS doesn't provide these services to the public, so she'd need to spend money at a vet any way.  Additionally vet care isn't just a one-time visit.  She'd have to spend money every year for a wellness check-up, and if her cat got sick or hurt she might need to take the cat to the vet for care in addition to the annual examination. 

I'm not sure how the topic changed to litter boxes, but the girl indicated that she only planned to clean the box once a week.  I explained that cats are very clean animals, and that they don't like to use dirty litter boxes. 

The little girl didn't get it.  "But why can't I just clean it once a week?" she asked.  I told her that some cats might stop using a litter box if it's dirty and start going potty in other, less desirable places.  She still didn't understand about daily cleanings, and so I asked her if she'd want to use a toilet that never got flushed. 

I'm not sure the girl was convinced.  Typical of many kids her desire to have a kitten to have fun with was stronger than her understanding of the fact that while a pet is fun it's also a responsibility that requires care that isn't always fun.  But I hope I at least planted a seed. 

Summer Camp 2014

Since this week is a holiday week we decided to offer a series of one-day camps.  This way parents can send their kids multiple days and work around their vacation schedules. 

25 kids are here today, and are having a blast.  The weather held out and so the kids were able to walk several dogs outside, in addition to meeting kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs, a ferret and a rat.  We even had them stuff kongs so that our shelter dogs get an icy treat. 

Summer Campers are Here!

Although HAWS is only into our second week of Kids 'N Critters Day Camp, I can say that it's started out to be our best year ever.  All of the counselors have returned from previous years, we have several teen volunteers helping out, and a mix of the familiar faces of returning campers along with new campers as well!

The kids have had a lot of fun, but they've also been a lot of fun.  I enjoy spending time with them and talking about what animals they love, answering their questions, and watching them play games and interact with the many animals here at HAWS.  It makes my job better to know how excited kids are to spend time at HAWS and learn about animals.

Cletus and the 5th Grade

For the last few years Mrs. DeShong's 5th grade class at Woodside Elementary in Sussex has taken advantage of HAWS' Teacher's Pet program and fostered one of our Guinea Pigs.   This year's chosen guinea pig was Cletus. 

Cletus started his school year in September, and bonded with the kids pretty closely.  I went to pick him up over Winter Break, and some of the kids were virtually in tears at the thought that they wouldn't get to see him for two weeks.  Each of the students had to say goodbye before I left the room with Cletus.

Since none of the parents of the students in Cletus' class wanted to adopt him, the kids made a huge effort to find a home for him on their own, rather than have him returned to HAWS and be in limbo as he waited for an adopter to fall in love with him.  This is from the email that Mrs. DeShong sent me in early May;  "Just wanting to let you know we have launched a school wide (including posters, visitations and slideshow) to find Cletus a forever home. My students are so involved in this!"

 The campaign the kids put together worked, and the mother of a student in a different classroom contacted us and wanted to adopt Cletus for her son.  The boy was so thrilled to have adopted him that we were told he teared up when he found out Cletus was going home with him.

It's wonderful to know that the Teacher's Pet program was successful in not only teaching students about being responsible pet owners, but also helping them learn to love animals and going above and beyond to do the right thing for an animal you love.  Enjoy your forever home, Cletus

Valley of the Kings

Each semester the HAWS Critter Club goes on a field trip to an animal related location.  A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to be able to visit Valley of the Kings, a sanctuary for large cats and other exotic animals. 

Unfortunately there are people who aren't satisfied with the selection of pets from those animals humans have already domesticated.  Wanting something "different" or because it would be "cool" some people get animals such as lions, tigers or wolves. 

Unfortunately in many states this is legal, and additionally private owners are usually unable to care for the animals properly.  Good zoos spend a tremendous amount of time and resources to ensure their animals are cared for properly.  Not only does the animal need food and water, but they need an appropriate habitat and their emotional and instinctual needs met.  Many zoos place a priority on environmental enrichment which allows their animals to use their natural behaviors and keep their minds engaged. 

Often people who get exotic pets don't do their research and aren't able to provide for the animal in a humane manner.  Additionally many times exotic animals are dangerous since they are still wild animals, and require enclosures that are much more secure than needed for a domesticated animal.   And sometimes private owners
 of these exotics end up being neglectful or downright abusive.

Many of the animals at Valley of the Kings come from previous owners such as this.  Some are retired circus animals which are no longer useful after just a few years performing tricks in front of audiences. 

The Critter Club kids learned about these animals on our visit to the sanctuary and how damaging it is to keep them as pets.  The kids were able to meet all the animals, and feed the big cats raw chicken legs by piercing it on the end of a bamboo pole and passing it through the double layer of fencing to the cats. 

Valley of the Kings tries to provide a final home for wild animals who previously lived terrible lives.  While they should never have been born into these lives, the sanctuary tries to make their last years comfortable and as happy as possible.   Hopefully the Critter Club kids can pass the message on that people should stick to keeping animals that were actually domesticated and therefore happy living with people.