ASPCA Education: For Parents

ASPCA Parent Newsletter - November 2006

Community Service

After hustling the kids into the mini van after school last week, I was happily listening to the teasing and laughter from the back seat, when our car got quiet. I looked over
to see what my kids were concerned about—a stray dog had just missed being hit by a car going in the other direction. As I debated whether to get out and help lasso the dog, a man in a pick-up stopped and scooped the confused pup into the cab of his truck. My kids were left full of questions “Whose dog was that? Is he someone’s pet? Will he be okay? Why was he wandering around without a leash or collar?”

We’ve been noticing a lot of stray animals around lately. Is there something we can do to help them?

Nothing’s more heartbreaking than a skinny and disoriented dog or cat left to fend for himself on the streets. Sadly, many communities are currently experiencing an overpopulation of stray animals. But just as one person can make a difference, one family can make an even bigger difference in the lives of animals who need us.

Helping the animals in your community can be a wonderful family activity. With school and extracurricular activities back in session and grown-up responsibilities and obligations limiting family leisure time, meaningful and educational family projects take on greater importance. Family community service is a great way to incorporate what’s going on in your child’s school with your family’s activities, because service learning and community service is becoming an important requirement in many schools.

There are many ways to help animals in your neighborhood. You can begin by reviewing books and websites with your family to come up with ideas to help your community’s animals. Another helpful starting point is the www2.aspca.org/findashelter where you can look up the shelters in your community. Below you’ll find a few other ideas to start your family’s community service learning.

Do you have an ill or elderly neighbor with pets? Maybe he or she can use some help caring for them. Exercising and feeding companion animals can be difficult chores for some elderly or ill pet owners. You and your kids can offer to assist them with these chores. Helping a neighbor keep their pet happy and healthy can provide you and your family the opportunity to get to know your neighbors, as well as the satisfaction of helping in a concrete and demonstrative way.

Many local animal shelters welcome responsible volunteers to walk dogs, socialize cats, help potential adopters choose pets and perform administrative tasks. These are just some jobs shelters depend on volunteers to do. Most shelters welcome teens 14 and up to help with the animals, but may allow younger kids if parents supervise. Your family can organize a neighborhood drive for your local shelter. Shelters are usually happy to receive donations of towels, blankets, money and resources for their programs. Call your shelter and see what their needs are, and take action!

Another great way to help animals in your community is to organize a neighborhood cleanup. Enlist families from your area in cleaning up a local park, pond or town square. Litter can be problematic for animals. Six-pack, plastic-ring holders can get stuck on animal’s necks, fishing line near a pond could cause problems for ducks, geese and fish, and leftover stale bread can pollute a pond’s ecosystem. Enlisting friends and neighbors along with your family in cleaning up neighborhood recreation areas is a fun, family-oriented way to help our environment. Children learn positive lessons about volunteerism and helping others.

Read and discuss current animal issues together as a family. Spaying and neutering are the best prevention against pet overpopulation. You can help educate your community. You and your family can compose letters to your local newspapers urging people to spay and neuter their pets. Write letters to your elected officials, asking for more money for spay and neuter programs in your area. You will be teaching your children about the democratic process and instilling civic pride. Imagine how it would feel knowing that your family, through hard work and dedication, made a real and lasting improvement in the lives of your community’s animals? Community projects are a great way of instilling family togetherness, neighborhood pride, as well as providing wonderful learning experiences for your entire family.

Please share your ideas and projects! We at the ASPCA would love to hear what your family is doing to make a difference in the lives of animals! Email your ideas and projects to education@aspca.org.

By Joanne Pentangelo, Humane Education Specialist

Suggested Activities

There are many things you can do with your family to help animals in your community. The following are a few ideas:

- Call your local animal shelter or check their website to find their wish list and hold a drive for those items. You can hold a toy drive, a pet food drive, etc.

- Volunteer with your son or daughter at your local animal shelter. Volunteer opportunities range from hands-on work such as dog walking or cat socializing to indirect work such as filing or other office work.

- Have a towel/blanket drive and donate them to your local animal shelter.

- Help your child organize a dog wash or bake sale and donate the proceeds to the animal shelter.

- Invite someone from the local animal shelter as a guest speaker to a community board meeting, PTA or faith-based organization to discuss what can be done to help animals in your community.

- Help your children beautify your local community garden or your own garden. Have your child place or create birdfeeders for the garden and plant flowers to attract native birds.

Recommendations:

For more activities you and your family on ways to help animals in your community, visit our Service Learning section of the website.

Newsletter for Kids
Animaland Pages: Community Service Projects the feature article informs kids about community service projects helping animals. The article is accompanied by:
- Top 10 Ideas for Service Projects
- Stories about kids who have performed service projects to help animals
- An activity on how to help beautify your community

Newsletter for Educators
ASPCA Animalessons^®: What is Service Learning? the feature article explains what is service learning and how service learning can be incorporated into the classroom. The article is accompanied by:
- How to make a Catnip Top and Bake Dog Biscuits
- Project on how to beautify school grounds
- Working with a local food bank to distribute to provide food for pets
- How to organize a towel and blanket drive