ABERDEEN ELEMENTARY FOURTH GRADERS ARE NOW EQUIPPED TO BE TRUE PET ADVOCATES!
This school year, with sincere thanks to Principal Krencicki, AES welcomed back the Pet Responsibility Education Program for Fourth Graders! Two and four-legged volunteers from the Pet Responsibility Committee talked with the students over 5 sessions about the responsibilities of pet ownership. The students learned about the
importance of planning and prevention – preventing rabies, heart worm, fleas and ticks; preventing behaviors that often lead to a pet being relinquished to a shelter; preventing unwanted litters in a county that already has too many pets. They learned about keeping pets healthy and safe and keeping themselves safe around dogs and cats. They learned about the shelter in Moore County, about rescue groups and about the spay and neuter clinic in Vass. They discussed how long pets live and
that we make a commitment to a pet for its entire life.
They discussed being pet advocates – speaking out for pets who have no voice of their own. They created messages of advocacy on white lunch bags to be used by the Sandhills Spay and Neuter Clinic for pet medications given to pet owners when they pick their pets up after being spayed or neutered.
The volunteer team chose 3 bags from each class. The artists were awarded Star Artist Awards, were given a special prize and had their bags displayed on a “pet responsibility” board in the Media Center. The Star Artists were Alexander, Rocco, Caleb, Emerson, Kenleigh, Lillian, Vivian, Jethro, Henley, Andrea, Emiliahna and Noah.
The winning bags and some of the winners are pictured below, together with photos of Nikko and Quinn, the therapy dogs.
The students also had a chance to win a free spay or neuter for their own pet or a pet of someone they know. To win they had to write a short story about the importance of spaying or neutering. The winner of the contest was Lillian who wrote her story on behalf of a friend, Miss Rose, for her dog Poppy. That was a wonderful act of advocacy!
The fourth graders at AES are now equipped to be true pet advocates!
