Wirral primary school takes the lead in promoting animal welfare to pupils

Children at Townfield Primary School were given the chance to get up close and personal with some very furry friends this week when Sibes and Sled Dog Husky Welfare paid them a visit.

The event was organised following a call from Wirral RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes for schools to play their part in the fight back against the rising number of animal cruelty cases across the borough.

It saw children create posters to show how to be a responsible pet owner, learning about animal welfare laws and taking part in sponsored walks in aid of the rescue charity.

One of the highlights of the day was a rig racing exercise with dogs from the group.

Teacher Kerry Williams, who organised the animal welfare day, said it was aimed at promoting the value and attitudes needed to care for animals.

She said: “At school we try to instil the key traits of respect, responsibility and honesty in our children. As part of our work on values and attitudes we thought that through an animal awareness day, we could transfer these traits in the context of animals.

“The idea was to encourage children to understand the responsibilities of owning animals and to show empathy and concern for all living things.

“With an increase in animal cruelty on the Wirral, we feel that it is important to educate the children on the responsibilities of caring for all living things and showing empathy and concern towards animals.”

Monday’s day of animal welfare came after Kerry saw an article in the Globe earlier this year which highlighted the need for children to be educated on the responsibilities and care animals should be shown.

But it was Kerry’s own connection to the Sibes and Sled Dogs Husky Welfare -  which she became a member of after taking on a Siberian Husky of her own – which saw the idea develop into what proved to be an exciting day for all involved.

“This was when I realised just how many sled dogs were passed on to rescue due to people not fully researching the breed,” explained Kerry.

“I became a foster for the group and fostered Bailey, another Siberian Husky who I later adopted.

“The Sibes and Sled Dogs group are working hard in order to educate young people about the responsibilities of the breed in the hope that fewer dogs will come in to rescue in the future.”

Townfield Primary teacher Kerry Williams tries her hand at rig racing. Picture: Paul Heaps.

Children at the Prenton school took part in discussions about the differences between deliberate cruelty, neglect and animals’ needs not being met.

They were able to describe and give examples of each through role play and drama and also learned what to do – and who to contact – if they thought an animal was being mistreated.

Sibes and Sled Dogs will be returning to Townfield in June to provide more focused workshops to groups of children.

The school’s eco and gardening club are also working hard to improve the school grounds by providing areas to encourage a range of wild animals to set up homes.

RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes.

RSPCA Inspector Joynes said he was delighted at the work being done at Townfield and hoped others will follow in their footsteps.

He said: “This is exactly what I wanted to see when I appealed to schools to do more in the fight against the rising tide of animal cruelty and neglect on the Wirral.

“I am really thankful to Kerry and the other organisers for taking animal welfare so seriously.

“To see children actively taking part in the event would have made it fun and interactive and that lesson will stay with them for a long time and ultimately could benefit animal welfare in the long run."

Inspector Joynes added: “Children who are encouraged to show kindness and empathy towards all living creatures will ultimately become kinder, well rounded individuals and will only benefit society as a whole in future.

“The RSPCA's aim is to prevent cruelty and promote kindness to all living things, events like this will go some way to helping in that aim. I hope every school on the Wirral now follow in the footsteps of Townfield Primary.”

• To find out more and to access RSPCA lesson plans, visit education.rspca.org.uk
   
• ​Any school that would like to get in touch with Inspector Joynes should call the Wallasey branch on 0151 638 6318.

• If you would like to help the RSPCA you can text HELP59 to 70099 to give £3.