WILLIAMSPORT, Md.- Kids attending a summer camp at Rehoboth Learning Center had a hands on experience of just the second session of Pet Care 101, a new education program presented by the Humane Society of Washington County. The kids were young, but the HSWC feels they need to know everything that goes in to adopting a pet.
"They're the next generation coming up to adopt from us," said Kimberly Jones, Volunteer Coordinator with the HSWC. "We want them (the kids) to be able to know the things they need to think about and look for when they're adopting an animal."
"We were putting more pets out into the public than we ever have before, and we thought wow, we're doing so well at putting adoptions out there, we need to make sure we are educating the public," said Kirk Livers, Marketing Coordinator with the HSWC. "And we thought what better way to start than with kids?"The kids learn everything from what supplies to get for your pet, different living situation to decide which pet would be best for their home, and using positive reinforcement to train animals.
"Often times we see returned adoptions because people don't pick the right pets because they're working too much, because they don't have someone to let the dog out," Livers said. "So we kind of go over different scenarios and talk about what is the right pet for your lifestyle."The class is free, and the humane society is hoping to teach the program all over the county.
"We'd love to see it in other schools, other kids groups, day cares," Livers added. "Anywhere in Washington County where there's kids, we can bring pet care 101."
If you would like to have the HSWC present Pet Care 101 to a local children's group you may know of, you can give them a call at