2018-19 Homeschool Project: Helping Animals at the Maryland SPCA!
Say "hello" to the adorable stuffed Rottweiler who will be our adopted class companion this semester! Our class will be collaborating with the Maryland SPCA, and taking part in its Humane Education Program. This program offers us the opportunity to have a guest speaker visit from the SPCA, to read books about animal
shelters donated to our class, to complete SPCA educational activities, and to care for our fuzzy class friend (who also needs a name). For our service learning work, we will design and implement one or more projects that help animals at the Maryland SPCA.
The Maryland SPCA’s mission is to improve the lives of pets and people in the community. There is never a time limit for how long an animal can remain in our care.
The Maryland SPCA collects donations of unopened pet food and kitty litter from the public for Kibble Connection, a program that provides pet food to local Meals on Wheels clients. In these hard economic times, some Meals on Wheels clients were sharing their meals with their pets and not getting
enough to eat. Kibble Connection helps ensure that Meals on Wheels clients and their pets maintain good nutrition.
million are cats. We estimate that the number of dogs and cats entering U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 7.2 million in 2011. The biggest decline was in dogs (from 3.9 million to 3.3 million). [READ MORE]
ASPCA Shelter Facts
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Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters every year. Of those, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2
Learning About Animal Shelters
Garfield Cartoon for Shelter Adoption
Board Game
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The Animal Welfare Institute's Pablo the Puppy board game encourages children to humanely treat their companion animals.
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The PBS series, Martha Speaks,
supports kids who want to help
animal shelters. Attach this Martha Speaks 'Friendship Card' to your group's animal shelter donation
Decoding Dog Body Language
Scholastic.com
Dog-and-kid interactions can go south quickly — especially when the child is unfamiliar with pups. To keep everyone safe, it helps to know the subtle signals the family pooch is sending.
Change the World For Pets
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In 250 words or less, or using a drawing or sculpture (submit a photo), express your feelings about “What is A Happy Pet?”
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Read these quotes famous people as a means to prompt discussion about compassion.
The Cat's Meow: Understanding
Your Feline Friend
For first-time cat owners, a kitty’s emotions, wants, and needs can seem as inexplicable as the Great Sphinx. Cats lack the facial expressiveness of dogs, they’re generally quieter, and their behaviors can be harder to interpret.