Have a couple of little animal lovers who want to get involved in animal welfare? The RSPCA are offering a fun and engaging program that teaches young children how to care for and respect animals as living creatures.
Perfect for kids aged 5 – 12, the program reinforces good welfare messages through fun, practical activities kids can do at home, in their neighbourhood and for animals living in shelters.
Junior Rescue Officers receive a Paw Points Handbook containing tasks they can complete throughout the year (don’t worry, these are all social-distancing-friendly!). They include making a toy for a shelter animal, leaving water out for wildlife on a hot day, writing thank you notes to shelter volunteers and lots more.
Junior Rescue Officers will receive three letters from RSPCA Inspectors during the year, which keeps them up to date on animal welfare issues in WA. They’ll also receive a birthday card to help celebrate their special day!
Once all Paw Points are completed, Junior Rescue Officers are rewarded with a certificate, a special gift and a shout-out on RSPCA WA’s social media.
The program is a great option for kids who want to get involved in animal welfare causes, but are too young to volunteer at shelters.
10 year old Lou became RSPCA WA’s first certified Junior Rescue Officer after completing all her Paw Points in just 6 months. Mum Caroline Rayner said Lou became interested in animal welfare after the family adopted their dog Jay from a shelter. After coming across the Junior Rescue Officer program, Lou begged to be signed up.
Along with the highlight of seeing her drawings on display at animal shelters, Mrs Rayner praised the program for helping to boost Lou’s self-esteem, after she proved herself capable of completing some of the more challenging tasks.
“She learnt to ask for help, and take herself out of her comfort zone to contribute to a cause larger than herself. She gained so much confidence as a result and took such pride in doing each task well.”
For a small membership fee, they receive a cute RSPCA teddy, an ID Badge, a copy of Animania magazine, the Paw Points Handbook and other goodies they’ll love.
[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://media.localista.com.au/2020/04/JRO-pledge-Judd-and-rescue-dog-Jasper.mp4"][/video]
Why We Love the RSPCA
If you love animals, the RSPCA is a wonderful organisation to support. They have a rich history, founded in 1892 by a reading circle of female friends as the Western Australian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The membership fee was one shilling. Today, the RSPCA WA continues to make a significant contribution to animal welfare, while still maintaining balance and credibility, avoiding the political extremism that so sadly goes hand in hand with Animal Rights groups.
As WA’s leading Animal Welfare organisation, operations and policies are practical, rational and evidence-based. They are the ultimate quiet achiever, providing care, policing cruelty and increasing our respect and recognition of animals as part a wider-community stakeholder. RSPCA WA continues to uphold the original objectives set out by its first committee:
- Prevent cruelty to animals by enforcing the existing law
- Establish further legislation to protect animals
- Educate the public in responsible animal care.
They are an organisation of which we can all be very proud and a great in which to involve your kids.