Love the Cove!

Before today, Rusty (the other Education Team mascot) had never fallen in love but today was the day!

Following a visit to Kindy Cove Child Care Centre this morning, Rusty secretly confessed to Education Officer, Eva, that it was love at first sight when he discovered a group of kids who had taken it upon themselves to help the animals at RSPCA NSW.

Weeks prior to the visit, a story was told of animals in need and it was this that sparked the kids to ask themselves how they too could help animals. And so began their quest for knowledge where along the way they hopped onto the RSPCA NSW website, saw a cupcake and the rest is history!

Well not history as yet, more like a premonition. Kindy Cove have now registered for the upcoming Cupcake Day and have already raised $200! Their next step was to invite the RSPCA NSW Education Team to further extend their knowledge of how they can help animals.

Into the picture came Eva and Rusty and unbeknownst to them both, but the kids were about to blow their minds with knowledge! They knew exactly why it is that RSPCA NSW exists and that they help unwanted, abused, sick and injured animals! What a profound revelation for such young individuals so it was no surprise they were eager participants in the 'Responsible Pet Ownership' Program and took it all in.

We look forward to seeing what else these kids will do to help animals in the near future! Rusty can't wait to visit again, maybe on Valentine's Day hey? :)

"C'mon Rusty, we have to head off now..."

Let me see ya shake your tail feather!

Sure, you can take the easy way out and just participate in our upcoming annual fundraiser, Cupcake Day, which requires amateur chefs to bake as many cupcakes as possible to raise much needed funds for RSPCA. But why not put those creative juices to work and organise a fundraiser with a different flavour?

That's exactly what a Primary School on the Central Coast did and the funds raised were suffering from a bout of 'disco fever'! There was music involved, a lot of dance movies and at the end of a fun night - a donation to RSPCA.

If you can come up with something just as awesome to raise funds for RSPCA NSW, we would love to hear about it! Drop us a line at education@rspcansw.org.au

Is that the best move you've got?

I'll say it! No, I'll say it!

Education Officers, Zoe and Eva, couldn't help but fall over each other with excitement when Sydney Cove Children's Centre had invited the Team to speak to not just one large group but two smaller groups of children! It's always a great opportunity when groups are split which gives all the participants (may they be 3, 33 or 83) more of a chance to interact and engage in a deeper level of discussion.

The topic of the day was 'Dog Safety'and boy did the kids have their say! From personal experiences with their own canine friends to attempts at figuring out why it is that we do certain things, Zoe and Eva were overwhelmed with the level of comprehension and passion for animals from the kids.

And who ended up speaking you may be wondering? Why both Education Officers ofcourse!

Interesting point you have there...

Ahh, to feel happy!

Did you see something furry on the bus?

No, it wasn't someone having a bad hair day, it was RSPCA NSW Education's very own mascot, Max, the plush toy dog Collie! I guess you avid blog followers wouldn't be surprised to see that the RSPCA NSW Education Team and Max will go wherever it takes to educate!

Most recently, Max found himself beating peak hour traffic into the City with a pleasant ride on the bus with Education Officer, Zoe. There were many surprised individuals who couldn't help but smile at the unexpected bus passenger and Max managed to remain seated the entire journey - what a good dog!

Think you've seen Max in an unexpected location, please let the Team know! We're forever reminding Max to let us know when he takes himself off for an excursion :)

Max couldn't decide which side
provided the better view!

And the winner is...

...everyone who entered!

It doesn't happen often (or ever perhaps), but the RSPCA NSW Education Team made dreams come true for many people and their pets! They were so impressed with the entrants from the latest 'Van Design' Competition that everyone who entered won the privilege and honour of appearing on the brand new schnazzy Education Van generously donated by Hyundai.

The task? Send in a picture of yourself with your pet.

The prize? Become an intergral part of the design on the Education Van which visits communities across the State and is seen by thousands of people.

All the photos were magically morphed into an amazing mosaic and then made into the shapes of some of the animals that are helped at the RSPCA.

One lucky winner was so excited to see her image on the Education Van that she invited the Team up the Coast to Swansea Public School on Wednesday. Education Officer, Eva, prepared the road trip snacks and slapped on her sunnies, ready for the journey North.

What is an Education Team visit without some Education you may ask? Never fear, as K-2 students were eager participants of the Responsible Pet Owner Program, complete with pooper scooping, amateur Veterinarians and the ever elusive microchip. Following this discussion, students were taken on a tour around the Education Van to see it in all it's glory!

Hello Swansea, what a lovely day to meet!

I want to be with animals 24/7!

This was definitely the vibe from high school students at the Annual University of Western Sydmey Careers Expo on Tuesday.

Education Officers, Steph and Eva and Community Education Manager, Claire were happily surprised when numerous students approached them, adamant that their future career path was to be with animals and looking for ways to help them in the mean time.

Students from Year 10 to Year 12 visited the Expo to research and learn more on what awaits them in the world after the comfort of schooling. RSPCA NSW Education Team wasn't sugar-coating anything and during one of two talks delivered, Claire reminded students that working with animals can sometimes be glorified and appear all cute and cuddly from the outside but with RSPCA's mission to "prevent cruelty", sometimes things can be quite confronting and shocking.

For those students who wanted to know even more about the workings of RSPCA NSW, Eva directed them to join the Team during the next school holidays for the 'Spring School Holiday Program' and spend a day at the RSPCA Shelter, experiencing firsthand how we fight animal cruelty.

Claire and Eva were on the right career path!

Room for one more...?

I highly doubt it!

RSPCA NSW Education Team arranged their clucky friends the other day to replicate the conditions in an intensive broiler system (pictured below). Don't be surprised by the lack of room because it provides a realistic portrayal of how a meat chicken can live its life when their welfare is sacrificed to produce a higher yield of produce.

Although consumers are now making the switch to cage free, barn laid and free range eggs to the excitement of many layer hens, not so many are aware of their impact when they are eating a fried chicken drumstick or breast fillet burger. Sure, our meat chickens (also known as broilers) don't live in cages, but being crammed into a barn with 40 000 of your not so close friends is just as inhumane.

According to RSPCA Australia: "Conventional meat chickens are kept in barren conditions with little room to move as the bird reaches slaughter weight. After years of selective breeding this can be as early as 35 days old. The birds fast growth can lead to leg, joint, bone and heart problems or sudden death." (For more information, visit: http://www.choosewisely.org.au/)

If you would like to make a difference to the lives of our chicky friends, always find out what farming system your chicken comes from before taking a bite!

RSPCA NSW Education chickens are always available to visit you and your group to help educate others on their humane food choices, so if you would like to meet each one in person, contact us on 9782 4460 or email education@rspcansw.org.au

No room to be normal...

We're 139 years young!

Today saw RSPCA NSW celebrate a unique milestone, their 139th birthday!

Who would have believed that for almost fourteen decades, RSPCA has been fighting animal cruelty and improving animal welfare across the State and although there have been improvements in many areas, every day presents new challenges.

To celebrate the occasion, the Education Team spent the day calling and writing up 'thank you' cards to all our wonderful animal advocates who without them, we would not exist.

So thank YOU to anyone who has ever donated, volunteered, bequested, fundraised, adopted, passed on education and ofcourse loved and respected animals as much as we have at RSPCA NSW!

Birthday tree :)

Eww, yucky...

..."But oh so necessary!" says Education Officer, Eva, as she finishes up her 'Responsible Pet Ownership' talk with preschoolers at a childcare centre in the Northern suburbs.

It happened when the topic of hygiene and toileting came up, the squeals and "eww's" rang across the room with shocked expressions from most the 3-5 year olds. They could not believe that we were suggesting that to clean up after our dogs you should pick it up with your hands and a trusty poo bag! "But can our pets go to the toilet?" asks Eva of the group and the realisation quickly dawned.

Following this revelation, the children were more than happy to engage in practicing their best poo picking up method, along with grooming and vaccinating Rusty, ensuring that he remains clean and healthy for another day...



Hmm, where shall I "go"?

How are we feeling today?

Pretty good, thank you very much!

With the RSPCA NSW School Holiday Program coming to an end, the Team are again amazed at the calibre of the participants they have had the priviledge of meeting over the past two weeks.

From participants enthusiastic enough to attend each week to those who have travelled far and wide to be with us (that's right Emma, you've set the record with your journey from Dubbo!), the Team were eager to share their wealth of knowledge, experience and skills in the world of animal welfare.

The second week of the program delved into how we can be responsible for the physical and mental wellbeing of our animals with a focus on veterinary science and positive reinforcement training. The participants were surprised to see Peaches the Pig make an appearance but it was the perfect starting point to think about how we can better meet the physical and mental needs our of sows, many who live in sow stalls in intensively farmed systems (click here for more info).

Thanks to Jana, Billy and Sam who popped by to assist in the day's activities - I think they had as much fun as the kids!

Good 'drop' Sam!



Jana is basking in all the attention!



We put a stop to it!

The RSPCA NSW Education Team started their July School Holiday Program on Monday and we were pleased when things came to a stop! A stop to boredom for children and youth and a stop to animal cruelty for society!

Okay, so we're a little way from the whole of society, but with all three days completely booked out, it's just a matter of time before the message gets to every corner of our State.

Kids aged 8-11 years, 12-14 years and then 15-17 years came to the RSPCA Sydney Shelter to spend their day with Inspectors Matt French and Claire Kendall, Education Officers Eva, Steph and Zoe and the wonderful  volunteers Rachel, Kez, Jess and Bree.

The theme of the day was a familiar tagline: "All Creatures Great and Small". As although the Shelter is home to predominantly companions animals, we should all care about and protect the welfare of all animals - even those pesky pigeons who enjoy keeping us company at the Shelter!

The feedback from the three sessions so far have been awesome! The kids are loving their time spent with the animals, assisting in their day to day care and can't stop raving about their five minutes of fame as an RSPCA Inspector.

Stay tuned for some 'healthy' fun next week...

Whatcha lookin' at?!



Keeping it clean for the rabbits :)



Safety Explorers

Watch out incidents of dog bites, you're going DOWN!

If the RSPCA NSW Education Team has there way, we'll start to see a world where everyone can correctly read a dogs' body language and know how to best approach our canine companions.

Education Officer, Eva, was on this mission last Wednesday with her trusty sidekick, Rusty (Bullet's twin) and has this to say: "Watch and learn residents of Blacktown as children from Little Explorers Early Learning Centre go about their daily lives. They'll be using their new found knowledge and ensuring their safety around dogs."

And don't think it's just lil kiddies who make the mistake of patting a dog on its head or disturbing its sleep, anyone can fall victim to the "you're cute, I want a piece of you" Syndrome. Never fear, the cure is here! Book in the RSPCA NSW Education Team to deliver their dog safety program and you'll really be a dogs' best friend!

Rusty chillaxing after another successful mission...
...he even got a lil sticker for he's outstanding effort!