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RSPCA NSW Education Team members, Steph and Eva, welcomed students from the Youth Off The Streets Chapel School for their second visit to the Sydney Shelter last Friday.

During their previous visit, the students were instructed in methods of positive reinforcement to train two Shelter dogs, Bow and Jeanie. This time around we made sure they didn't give all their attention to our canine residents (the evidence is below). Starting with reiterating some basic good manners for several Shelter dogs, the students were fantastic in keeping Morris and Hunter entertained with fetch being the flavour of the day. The students were then taken into the Cattery where cuddles were shared all around.



Thanks for the cuddles Daniel!

 Thanks Chapel School for providing some much needed attention to our Shelter animals!


  

Aaron and Piper  we're having heaps of fun
- don't be fooled by their expressions.



Calvin and Jinx were bonding well, though Jinx
wasn't too keen on photo bonding time =)



We let Edward (the person) out...eventually.



Hop, hop, hop!

What a fantastic way to say "thanks" with a kangaroo hop, hoppity, hop! This is exactly what the 1st East Gosford Joey Scouts did yesterday to show their appreciation for Education Officer, Eva, making her way to the group for an all important discussion on responsible pet care.

The Scouts were spot-on with their knowledge and yet Eva was still able to astound them with information on how cats keep themselves clean, the harmful effect worms have on our pets and why it is so important to walk our dogs every single day - there's no such thing as a "lazy day" when you own a dog!

Our Education Team mascot, Max the Collie was having the afternoon off, so he sent along his
pal, Rusty the German Shepherd. For those of you who have been avidly following our Blog, you may have been eargerly awaiting the names for our new friends and yes Rusty and Dusty are their names, educating the NSW public is their game!

If you would love to meet the mascots or the Education Team, invite us to speak with your group! Call us on 9782 4460 or email us education@rspcansw.org.au

Thanks to Angie for inviting RSPCA Education to Gosford!

Living it large in Liverpool!

Despite the weather frowning on us yesterday, there were smiles all round at the Children's Week Community Event in Liverpool.

Education Team members, Mark, Steph and Eva, met many of the local residents, both adults and children, and heard some of their thoughts on the state of animal welfare affairs in the area. A major issue for many communities that continues to rear its head is the abundance of stray cats. A simple way cat owners can help ease the problem is to contain their cats to an enclosed area, at a minimum from dusk until dawn. Coupled with desexing, it would help to lessen the number of stray cats. A major campaign focusing on this issue is underway in Victoria so click here for more information.

If your local council or community are holding an event, the RSPCA NSW Education Team would love to go along and chat with anyone that comes our way! Contact us on 9782 4460 or education@rspcansw.org.au

A little cute...a lot of cuddly...and somewhat spikey!

Only spikey in his name, Spike the 8 year old Terrier cross, set hearts a flutter at a Retirement Village today.

RSPCA NSW Education Team members, Stef and Eva, were making a second visit to the Village and Spike was the chosen one to bring much wanted animal interaction to the folks. Stef had spoken with the group about RSPCA and what the organisation does and that inital visit gave us an opportunity to decide what type of dog would be most suitable in that particular environment - a very calm and unexcitable dog. We knew Spike would fit this brief!

Many residents were curious as to why Spike was yet to be adopted and unfortunately it may be due to the fact that he is partially deaf. This may seem like an overwhelming responsibilty for a new pet owner but Spike is a very relaxed and sweet-natured dog and the main difference in our interactions with him would be replacing words with gestures!

Joan said she fell in love with Spike, aww!





Just chillaxing with the folks



Come meet him in person at our Sydney Shelter!
Click here for more information about Spike



Excel Excelsiors!

Onwards and upwards to all the students at Excelsior Public School in Castle Hill for their fundraising efforts!

Education Officer, Eva, was overwhelmed by the iniative and creativity of the students today when she learnt that they organised several fundraising events to be held over a week, all in the name of supporting RSPCA NSW. And don't think there was any influence from the teachers - everything is being organised, planned and implemented by the students! Eva was given a talking spot during the school assembly and used the opportunity to let students know how the money they raise will help all the animals at RSPCA.

Just some of the fantastic events they've run already include...

• Cake Stall
• Dress-up as an animal Day
• Plush Animal Toy Day
• Face Painting

Which one is real?

But why would they get a dog?!

It's a question many of us ask ourselves at the RSPCA when faced with extreme cases of cruelty. It was great to see students from a school in Campbelltown come to the same conclusion during a visit today.

Education Team members, Claire and Eva, attended the school hoping to enlighten the students about animal cruelty and show them what Inspectors are facing on a daily basis. Claire shared some of the cruelty cases she was personally involved in during her six year stint as an Inspector. The students were quick to make their own judgements about what constitutes animal cruelty and unfortunately sometimes the law just doesn't keep up!

The RSPCA believes that an animal's welfare should be considered in terms of five freedoms:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst
2. Freedom from discomfort
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour
5. Freedom from fear and distress

If you would like to explore these freedoms in depth and understand how animal cruelty is realised in society today, please contact the Team! Call 9782 4460 or email education@rspcansw.org.au

So that's what it means!

Applause for the paws!

That's right, a round of applause for all the responsible pet owners who braved the scorching weather yesterday to take their dogs along to the first ever Narellan Town Centre's Paws in the Park.

A fantastic event to encourage like-minded pet owners to treat their canine friend to an outing with a difference and with so many opportunities to make some new friends, who wouldn't want to go?  Education Team members Stef, Matt and Mark attended the event and made sure they took shelter under the RSPCA marquee whilst engaging in some interesting conversations with local residents.

If you were one of the lucky ones who went along, be sure to let us know what your thoughts are of the event and ofcourse how you faired on the 3km or 5km walk!

Hmm, which way to go first?



Wise words in the West

Yesterday saw over 400 students head home after school, quietly pondering the words of animal welfare wisdom as shared by Education Officer, Eva.

The RSPCA Education Team was invited to the primary school to deliver two of our Education programs: 'Responsible Pet Ownership' and 'RSPCA in the Community' and it left many audience members wanting more, asking numerous questions sparked by a genuine curiousity. One student began to to think that perhaps a dog was not the perfect pet for him, but a guinea pig without the need for a daily walk may be the match for him.

If only time would stand still for a minute and then everyone's pet queries could be answered! But never fear, the RSPCA Education is always here! If you ever need to satisfy your own curiousity, feel free to shoot us an email at education@rspcansw.org.au and with our amazingly diverse Team, we're sure to find the answer.

Tell me more, tell me more!

Fancy seeing you here!

That's right, you better watch out because the RSPCA Education Team is everywhere!

Well we try to be everywhere and the last School Holidays saw Education Officer, Zoe, make the journey up to Salamander Bay Shopping Centre. Taking Centre Stage (figuratively, not literally) Zoe presented our Education programs to curious shoppers, proving that our mission is to educate anywhere, at anytime!

Passerbys were captivated by the information and took a seat to hear messages about dog safety and how our feline and canine friends have evolved over the years to become our domesticated companions.

Think you've got a group of people we are yet to visit? Why not take up the challenge and contact us on 9782 4460 or education@rspcansw.org.au and try your luck!

Zoe, accompanied by her trusty sidekick, Max

Slick is back!

Slick is great at "drop", good dog!

Although only for a day, Slick and his new owner, Emily, came down to visit Education Team members, Claire and Eva, at the St Francis Church 'Blessing of the Animals' day on Saturday. It was fantastic to be able to draw attention to what makes us happy at the RSPCA: great dog + great owner = perfect match! The Team also used the opportunity to show the public that these animals are often well-socialised, well-trained animals who were just unlucky with their previous owners and are just looking for a fresh start!



The life-size egg-laying chickens made an appearance with many people shocked to see how little room the legal minimum cage size afforded the chickens. With so many barn-laid and free range egg options now available, it is not a difficult decision. One of the chickens were blessed by the Franciscan Friars, and we hope this is a sign of better times ahead for our clucky friends.



Bring on the questions!





Perfect manners!





 



Slick is a always happy to socialise with anyone!





One of the many pets blessed that day





Training is the key

Imagine being stuck in a empty room with only a few toys and the view outside to keep you entertained. Unfortunately, this is the reality for the animals who are awaiting adoption at the RSPCA Shelter. And although we have volunteers who spend time with our animals, until we can increase our numbers ten-fold, many will still spend most of their day quite bored.

Luckily though, last Friday, saw students from the Youth Off The Streets Chapel School made their way to the Sydney Shelter. RSPCA Education Team members, Claire and Tanya, ran a Shelter Tour and taught the students how to use positive reinforcement training with several Shelter dogs.

Many people may not realise the importance of training as it not only to teaches good doggy manners but it is also a crucial tool in keeping our pets mentally stimulated - in other words, prevent them from becoming bored!

Jeanie, a Catlle cross and Bow, Husky cross Malamute, were fantastic participants and were able to sit, drop and shake by the end of the session.

Stuck for things to do?

RSPCA Education Team to the rescue!

If you and your pet are yet to make plans for tomorrow, why not join Education Team members, Claire and Eva, in Paddington for a community event with a difference! St Francis of Assisi will be holding Feast Day celebrations with the highlight of the event a 'blessing of the animals' where as it describes, you can have your pet blessed!

The Team will be manning an information stall, focusing on campaign information, in addition to a presentation at 12.45pm. And what do we have instore for our speaking spot? An RSPCA success story! Those regular blog followers may recall 'Slick', a Mastiff cross who accompanied the Team to several Youth Off The Streets visits. Well the good news is he was adopted and the even better news is he will be accompanying his owner to the event to share in all the fun!

The Event kicks off at 9.30am so we will see you there at 9.29am!

Jump start for dog safety!

The RSPCA Education Team are on a roll this week with Jump Start 4 Kids in Blacktown rounding up another successful week of the Dog Safety Program.

The Centre knows how important the message is, as evidenced by their continued support for the program and booking us in every year - twice this year alone! Maree, the Centre Director, is in agreement with the Education Team that with regular exposure to the information, the kids will have a better chance of retaining the knowledge which in turn ensures they are safer when interacting with dogs.

Also, thanks to the Centre for providing a monetary donation in addition to the food treats for our Shelter animals. You can be sure that the food won't last long at all!

Magnanimous Marrickvillians!



(From left to right) Angie, Alex, Isabella and Zoe from RSPCA
















Education Officer, Zoe, stumbled upon this uncommon breed today in the Inner City and to her surprise there were around 300 of them!

Who would have guessed that a group of around 300 high school students, who inhabit Marrickville High School could band together and raise over $1000 to support the vital services provided by RSPCA NSW! The SRC set out the target and over numerous events including mufti days and cake stalls, it did not take long for them to achieve their goal.

Zoe attended the School today for the illustrious handing over of the cheque by SRC members, Isabella and Alex. A special thanks to the lovely librarian Angie who will organise for us to visit again, this time to discuss with the students how the money helps our organisation and some of the things we do in the community.

If you encounter one of these fantastic Marrickville-folk, be sure to pass on our thanks and if you spot or know of any other fantastic fundraisers, be sure to drop us a line at 9782 4460 or education@rspcansw.org.au

How can we help but smile at the sheer generousity!

Supportive staff secures safety!

That's right! Thanks to the super-supportive staff at Shelley Bear Childcare Centre, the RSPCA NSW Education Team can be sure that the kids will be safe around dogs!

Education Officer, Eva, visited the Centre today to deliver our Dog Safety program and as effective as the messages are, it really is up to the staff to expose the children to the information regularly over the next week or so. It was great to hear the staff say that they would! This will ensure that the children retain the information more successfully and can more easily draw on it should the occasion arise.

Simple activities and games can be played to reinforce the steps and why not consider inviting the RSPCA Education Team to make a follow up visit accompanied by a real dog? Although this will depend on the availlability of staff, it offers a great opportunity for the participants to put their knowledge to the test and see if they remember what to do when meeting a dog for the first time.

To organise a visit from the RSPCA NSW Education Team, please contact 9782 4460 or education@rspcansw.org.au

Hello Hurstville!

The dog safety word is spreading and today it made its way to Hurstville Teddy Bear Childcare Centre. During our annual visit, preschoolers were taught the do's and don't's when it comes to interacting with dogs and boy were they attentive! We can be sure that these kids will think twice now when deciding how a dog is feeling and when it is safest to make their approach, if at all.

How can you say no to Chappo?

Our sweet-mannered greyhound wasn't asking for much, just a scratch under the chin and some workplace giving!

What is 'workplace giving' you ask? Well if have a job, you can make a donation to RSPCA NSW through payroll at work. Click here for more information.

Today's star company was NRMA, where the Education Team set up a stand to raise awareness of what RSPCA do in the community and help the employees with their decision of what charity to support. Chappo accompanied the team and was a great conversation starter! The Team used every opportunity to educate people on the wonderful nature that greyhounds possess and the fact that they are actually perfect apartment dogs! This is because the greyouhnd is built for short bursts of energy and not long periods of exercise so they are happy to lounge around for most of the day with a daily walk to the local park to keep them mentally stimulated and allow a toilet break.

Our fave colour is Orange!

Okay maybe not our favourite colour (we're big fans of our RSPCA blue and green!) but we're definitely enjoying visiting the town!

To celebrate the last day of school holidays, Education Officer, Steph, made the exciting journey to the Orange PCYC to run one of our education programs. It's great to see that distance knows no boundaries when it comes to educating the community because every family that has a four-legged member needs to know how to provide the best level of care!

In fact, did you know that many of the animal cruelty complaints that RSPCA receive could have been prevented had the owner known about all the different responsibilties of a pet owner? So if you have been one of the lucky participants of our education programs, you are helping us fight animal cruelty! Go Team!

"What does RSPCA stand for?"

Wagga Wagga pets: RSPCA Education to the rescue!

Fear not pets of Wagga Wagga - next time you are injured (providing it is after next Wednesday) your owner may be able to relieve some of the pain!

Education Team members, Tanya and Steph, will be making the journey to the area next week to provide animal first aid training to the local branch members. They will focus on how to respond to different emergencies, transportation of different trauma, fracture stabilisation and wound management, amongst many other medical issues. This educational event even made the local paper!

In conjunction with this, Education Team members, Steph and Mark will be attending the Glenfield Road Animal Shelter Open Day on Saturday 15th October, 2011. From 12 noon to 3.30pm they will be providing information on all things to do with animal welfare so if you find yourself passing through, do stop by to have a chat!

Gather around as we introduce...

...our newest Education Team member - a life-size German Shepherd named ??? (Yes, we are yet to agree on a name for Max's new buddy but do stay-tuned). Did we give in to Max's constant plea for a new friend? Possible. Did the Team have more than enough love to share with another toy dog? Perhaps. All in all, the German Shepherd along with Max the Collie was a big hit in Marrickville today as Education Officers, Steph and Eva, ran a 'Responsible Pet Ownership' Session for children and parents in the local town hall.

It was great to be approached at the end of the session by one parent who mentioned that now that she knew what we do as an organisation, would love to take her kids to our RSPCA Shelter to see all the dogs that are awaiting adoption. Fingers crossed you find your new family member soon!

Justice is brought to the RSPCA Shelter dogs!

Juvenile Justice to be exact!

Today saw Education Team members, Mark and Eva, make a visit to a Juvenile Justice Centre in Western Sydney and for the second time this year, youths from the Centre took time out of their daily routine to bake pupcakes for the dogs at the Yagoona Shelter (see below for pictures of some very satisfied canine customers!)

As it was the fourth visit to the Centre in the last year and having discussed such topics as animal cruelty and breed specific legislation, this time around saw the youths made aware of the realities of puppy factories. One of our current campaigns, many youths did not realise what it means if you purchase a puppy online or through a newspaper advertisement - you are very likely to be supporting these establishments. The RSPCA NSW Education Team ask that next time you are thinking of adopting a dog, either visit an animal shelter or a reputable breeder than can do three things for you:

1. Show you the mother of the litter
2. Show you the father of the litter
3. Show you where the litter was born

For more information about the RSPCA puppy factory campaign click here.



Remember Rex? Here he is enjoying a freshly baked pupcake!



Meg, our fantastic 3-legged dog, gets a well-deserved treat!



Oh the joys of toys!

A handful of Shelter animals were alleviated from their boredom today thanks to the kids joining the RSPCA NSW Education Team for the School Holiday Program.


The kids participation saw a two-fold approach to keeping some Shelter cats and dogs mentally stimulated and began with a treat-making venture with involved something sticky, something crunchy and something bouncy. The kids definitely got their hands dirty and saw the fruits of their labour enjoyed by some very eager adult dogs including Rex and Jeanie (see below for some adorable images).


The adult cats were next to be entertained and who would've guessed that their toys would provide as much amusement for the kids as the cats themselves! Watch out Shelter cats - your moving mouse toy may go missing!


It's great to know that the kids learnt the importance of providing different toys and treat for our companion animals, having seen firsthand how much enjoyment they provide. Every pet, if left alone at home, should have many different things to keep them occupied until such time that their best friends (yes, you, the human companion) returns home!

Rex, Labrador x Kelpie - calm and collected Senior dog

Jeanie, Australian Cattledog - thoroughly enjoys learning
new tricks