4th Grade Pet Detectives

                                                                   Puppy Mills                                                                                                     A puppy mill is a place where dogs go and they live in small dirty cages. Little puppies get  seperated from  their mom and they do not see each other. The dogs in cages do not have a chance to go outside their cages. DO NOT BUY PETS FROM THE PET STORES! Instead, buy pets from the nearest local shelter. If you do not buy animals from pet stores 99% of the time they end up going back to puppy mills.                                          

We the Fourth Grade Pet Detectives believe:

You should watch this video because it talks about how you can adopt an animal from your nearest animal shelter. In this video I learned that each year 8 to 10 million animals enter shelters in the USA and a few years later 4 to 6 million animals are euthanized each year simply because shelters run out of space. This is why you should be a responsible pet owner and also adopt pets from the pound (don't buy them from pet stores!). Our project focuses on how to take care of animals to prevent abuse, look for agent R.G's post on how to take care of a pet.        

Click here to watch the video.                                                                                                                    

By Agent A.H

Dear parents of pet owners,

Here are some tips on " how to take care of your pet ":

1. If you ever leave the house overnight, find a pet sitter.

2. Children should not be left alone or allowed to sleep with an animal.

3. Teach your child not to pull ears and tail of your animal, or pinch, squeeze, or make loud noises .  He/ she should never disturb a dog while its resting, sleeping, playing with a favorite toy or eating.

4. Do not allow your pets to lick your child face or any cuts or scratches.

5. Pay attention to warning signs-An animal that is growling or hissing want to be left alone !

6. Make sure you train your pet.

Puppy mills are bad. They are bad because dogs don't eat much and they dont exercise much either.We can stop puppy mills by buying our pets from shelters instead of pets stores. It's a good thing to get your pet from shelters instead of pet stores because if an animal in a shelter doesn't get adopted by people, they have to die.  So save animals.

The Philadelphia Zoo is accepting applicatons for their Junior Advisory Council!

Here is the information from their website:

The Philadelphia Zoo believes there is no shortage of great ideas from children for improving America’s First Zoo. In an effort to capture these ideas and give them voice, the Zoo is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for its fifth "Junior Advisory Council". "Junior Advisory Council 5" will allow approximately twenty children ages 8-14 from communities in and around the Philadelphia region, southern New Jersey and Delaware to have a platform for input from a child’s perspective on Zoo issues ranging from the design and presentation of animal attractions to selecting healthy and tasty menu items in the snack stands, the Zoo’s gift shop and more.

The deadline for applications is February 29, 2012 with selections being made March 15, 2012.

For more information regarding the Junior Advisory Council please contact:

Laura L. Houston
Director Public Programs
Philadelphia Zoo
215-243-5243
Houston.laura@phillyzoo.org

If interested click this link to be sent to the application. Remember the deadline is February 29!

                                 Application for The Philadelphia Zoo's "Junior Advisory Council" 

On Friday January 6, we had a very special visit from Lizzie, the founder of Peace for Puppies. Over the next few days, the 4th grade Pet Detectives will post details about this visit and will also write about  information they learned about Lizzie and her organization. In the meantime, I am posting an interview conducted by two wonderful agents, Agent JDB and ZN. The questions were compiled from a class homework assignment where all of the Pet Detectives had two write 2 or 3 things they would like to know about Lizzie and Peace for Puppies (99.9% of all activities and projects are STUDENT DRIVEN). JDB edited the questions. They were great questions and showed how much the Pet Deectives were thinking about our project and the impact it could have on the lives of others. Please read our podcast and PLEASE share a comment, the Pet Detectives would LOVE to hear from you!