Today I got to do something fun. There are groups around the country that a promoting the children's book Martha Speaks in libraries. They bring in veterinarians and therapy dogs for the kids to meet and hear from, and then spend some time reading the book. There are six such events being held in the metro area around me, and I'm participating in four of these with today being the first.
There were almost 30 children ranging from pre-Kindergarten to 1st and 2nd grade. I opened with discussions on what kind of things pets need, where pets live, and how vets take care of them. Then the therapy dog group spoke for a while and let the kids pet their dogs. I had some vet-related coloring books, crayons, and stethescopes to pass out to the kids as the left.
I had fun with it and look forward to the next on. Many of these kids haven't hadn't had pets and may have had bad experiences. I know that many of their families may not be doing everything they should for a pet. If I can give these kids even learn a few things about proper pet care, then they have a chance of bringing it into their adult life. That's a win-win for everyone! We have a chance to develop kids into responsibile pet owners, the kind vets like to see.
It can be a bit chaotic, but you have to plan for that since these are kids. When you get used to it, it can b easy to handle. And then once you can handle the kids you can go anywhere you want with the discission.
So if anyone in the Atlanta, GA area wants to learn about Martha Speaks and get to meet a vet, check with your local library. I may just be the one giving the talk.
