You smile, so I smile

A core message of the RSPCA NSW ‘Dog Safety’ Program involves getting participants to realise that many of the emotions we feel as humans are simlar for our animal friends, though expressed in vastly different ways.

It was great to see children at Northmead Early Education Centre being supported to come to this realisation during a recent visit by Education Officer, Eva. As part of the program, children were introduced to the world of dog body language and how an understanding of these concepts will help to keep them safe when interacting with our canine companions.

The children and staff had come to a different realisation previously: that the animals at RSPCA NSW needed their help! So the Centre held their very own Cupcake Day fundraiser prior to organising the Education visit.

Thank you to the staff and children at Northmead Early Education Centre for now being able to stay safe around dogs and helping those animals at RSPCA NSW.

If you or a group you know would like to be part of the ‘Dog Safety’ revolution, please contact the RSPCA NSW Education Team on 9782 4460 or education@rspcansw.org.au

Happy!!

Angry!

Scared...!

Supportive :)

Rising to the occasion: Part 2

RSPCA NSW deal with some shocking and upsetting stuff everyday so it’s a wonderful when something brings a smile to their faces and smile they did upon receiving a special something!

Remember that amazing Year 3/4 class from Rosehill Public School? Well not only did they delve into the world of animal welfare but they took it a step further and decided to help the animals who temporarily call RSPCA home.

Two students were inspirated to do some fundraising and created their very own magazine to sell and collected all the proceeds. Along with a disco the Year 3/4 class organised, they had an excellent ‘kitty’ built up, so what did they do with it? Go on a crazy spending spree buying all sorts of treats and toys for the Shelter animals! See some pics below of our Shelter dogs absolutely LOVING their new toys!

 And the generousity didn’t stop there, do you recall those colourful things from the photo? Well each student class took the time to create a ‘thank you’ card for all the staff at RSPCA. The message inside told us of the students’ belief about animals and a thank you message for all the hardworking people at RSPCA.

So who exactly received these wonderful creations? Keep your eyes peeled as we explore RSPCA NSW from the inside and thank as many people as possible with the lovely 'thank you' cards!

Thanks Rosehill Public for making our day J



Gimme, gimme toys!

Fetch Bella!

Good sit Banjo!

Fun times ahead Jack!



Bring it back Dolly!



The students who rose to the occasion

It started with a topic, ‘people and their beliefs’ and a Year 3/4 class at Rosehill Public were faced with the daunting task of exploring what society believed about animals . They stumbled upon local issues including the use of exotic animals in circuses and jumps races and had to decide what their personal beliefs were.

Into the picture came RSPCA NSW Education in the form of Education Officer, Eva, to give the class RSPCA’s perspective on animals and what they believe as an animal welfare organisation. The class were introduced to animal cruelty from the eyes of those who deal with it on a daily basis and began to witness the gap between how they personally would treat animals and the minimum standards set by law.

Discussion around the ‘Five Freedoms’ sparked thoughts around what animals should be afforded in life. Sure the basic stuff like food, water and shelter but howabout a chance to exhibit natural behaviours and avoiding situations which cause mental suffering? These were the quandaries for the day as the class were introduced to the world of the battery hen.

Even many adults are unaware of the issues and how they can help caged hens but one student came to the following realisation:

“So if everyone stopped buying cage eggs, the farmers with caged hens wouldn’t be able to sell their eggs and would have to change to free range?”

Spot on. The consumer has the most power when it comes to improving the layer hen welfare but it is up to them to use their powers for good and not evil.

This amazingly aware class did not stop there when it came to helping animals. Their awesomeness cannot be contained in this one blog entry so stay tuned to find out what else they did...


I wonder what they're holding there...



Cupcakes at St George

Last week, Zoe from Education visited St George SSP in Kogarah to meet students who had participated in Cupcake Day at school to raise funds for RSPCA.
Not only did the small school raise over $140, they also created a beautiful poster with pictures of the day which is now hanging in RSPCA NSW offices and brightening up everyone's day!
Thanks St George!

Can’t forget the better cookies!

RSPCA NSW Education would like to thank Snowy Mountains Cookies for helping the Team entice unsuspecting event-goers at the recent ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ Expo.

The cookie company provided samples of their fantastic free-range egg cookies and they were the perfect conversation starter about layer hen welfare and what consumers can do to help.

Snowy Mountains Cookies have already been recognised for their commitment to animal welfare as the recipients of RSPCA’s Good Egg Award.

One of our hens casting a protective eye over the
free range cookies...

Better homes, gardens and animal welfare

If we were to let you know that RSPCA NSW Education had a stall at the recent ‘Better Homes and Garden’ Expo, then we bet you would expect to find us in the ‘Garden and Pets’ section. Time to be pleasantly suprised because our attendance this time was focused on the plight of our hens and their eggs, which placed us right in amongst the hustle and bustle of the ‘Cooking’ section.

Many animal welfare supporters are unaware that a major way RSPCA helps animals is by getting the public thinking about animals across society and beyond just our pets. How do we do this? Campaigns!

One that everyone and anyone can have a massively positive impact on is with the outcome our layer hens.

When consumers purchase cage eggs, they are inadvertently saying that it’s okay for hens to live in a cage with an area less than an A4 piece of paper, be unable to exhibit natural behaviours such as nesting, dust bathing or even stretch their wings.

When consumers purchase barn-laid, free range or cage-free eggs, they are affording hens an opportunity to roam around, do all the things that hens love to do and socialise!

To become an informed consumer, click here for the full story.

Argh, it's a giant chook!





The Education Team let their Manager, Mark Jeffrey, out
of his cage/office for the day - keep up the educating Mark!

Fancy seeing you again!

It’s lovely to visit groups on an annual basis to get that extra chance to deliver our Education Programs to an ever-maturing audience.

The spotlight this time is on Narwee Preschool Kindergarten, who invite the Education Team each year and put a lot of effort into their fundraising efforts with an awesome donation each time!

Education Officer, Eva, has a particularly soft spot for this Centre as she has had witnessed the growth of the participants as well as experienced the continued support of the staff in ensuring that the children fully understand the RSPCA ‘Dog Safety’ Program.

As the Program requires a minimum age of 3 years, for those who may have been too young they get a chance to be part of the program the following year and those who have been a part of the Program get a chance to further develop their understanding of knowledge that even many adults are unaware of.

Thanks Sylvia for helping all the children at the Centre become ‘Dog Safety’ experts and we look forward to visiting again next year!

We're forever etched into their minds :)