Today was fabulous! We traveled to the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, (the PSPCA). Our guide Mandy took us on a tour of the shelter. We saw horses, baby bulls, chickens, turtles, and of course dogs and cats. We learned about all the important work that the PSPCA does, including rescuing animals from terrible situations. They have a large force of animal police who investigate and rescue animals. After our tour, we made toys and treats and then went back to the kennel to share quiet time with the dogs. The treats involved peanut butter and oatmeal and lots of mess. We gave them the treats we had made, and yes, we also got to hold and pet ferrets named Lewis and Clark. We also played with cats. We also learned about the special issues that shelter dogs face and how important enrichment activities and socialization are.
We returned to MFS and spent the rest of the afternoon with Lini Federici and her friend Sarah J. Cowell learning about scent work, a fun competitive activity that you can do with your dog. We learned how dogs are trained for this activity and the important of making it fun for the dog. Rayne, the Vizla, demonstrated by finding 4 scent boxes in 3 minutes. Lini brought her Norfolk terriers, including her puppy Raven who was 4 months old!
