Visit to Barntown NS

Last week the South East Education Team visited Barntown NS in Co. Wexford.  Deirdre and her dogs Sadhbh and Cónán spent two days delivering workshops to Junior Infants through to 6^th class.  The pupils told Deirdre all about their dogs and the different things that dogs need every day to be healthy and happy.  The children heard the story of a very special dog called Patch and how he arrived at Dogs Trust to find a lovely new home.  They also learned how to safely approach a dog once they have the owner’s permission – the children got to practice their new skills by safely meeting Sadhbh and Cónán!

 

The staff and students of Barntown NS listened very attentively to Deirdre and her dogs and the children all received certificates to show they had learned all about Responsible Dog Ownership.  Thanks to teacher Miss. Mernagh for the photographs – you can check out her award-winning educational blog at www.missmernagh.com.

Puppy Love on Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the dogs and dog owners of Ireland! Here at Dogs Trust we love each and every one of the more than 160 dogs and puppies we have in our care. We know that you all love your dogs every day of the year too! The Dogs Trust Education Team thinks the best way to show how much your dog means to you is to make these 5 Promises to your dog and any other animals in your home:

Promise 1 - Love

I promise to provide my pet with love and attention.

Promise 2 - A home

I promise to provide my pet with a suitable place to live.

Promise 3 - Safety

I promise to protect my pet, to keep her or him safe and healthy.

Promise 4 - Food and water

I promise to provide my pet with a healthy diet.

 

Promise 5 - To be themselves

I promise to provide my pet with a life that she or he will enjoy.

Meet the Education Team Part 3

Finally, meet Aoife and her Education Dog, Brave.  They are our South West Education Team and are the newest members of the Dogs Trust Education Programme.

 

Hi Aoife, tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Aoife de Burca, I’ve a degree in Photography and I’m also a fully qualified Primary School Teacher. I’ve always been a big dog lover so it’s a dream come true to work for Dogs Trust.

 

How long have you worked at Dogs Trust?

I started work with Dogs Trust in September, 2013.

 

What parts of Ireland do you visit?

I visit schools in South West Munster, mostly Cork, Limerick and Kerry.

 

Tell us about your Education Dog, Brave.

Brave is a handsome greyhound and an absolute dote. He was left tied to the railings of Dogs Trust a year ago with a badly broken leg. He was given the name Brave because even though he was in such pain and in a very frightening situation he was gentle and strong and definitely very brave!  He is ideally suited to the role of an Education Dog and he loves nothing more than visiting schools and helping teach about responsible dog ownership.

 

What workshops does the Education Programme offer?

We offer a wide range of FREE workshops covering everything children need to learn about Responsible Dog Ownership and how to look after their dogs.  We offer a Safety workshop, demoing how to safely approach a dog with its owner present or what to do if they’re scared of a dog. All our workshops are curriculum linked so for example we have a really fun maths based workshop where children work out the Cost of a Dog over a year. It’s often a lot more expensive than the children expect! We also have a great workshop called Match a Dog where children really enjoy role-playing as a Dogs Trust employee- choosing the right dog for different families who want to adopt a dog. This workshop really gets them into thinking critically and problem solving.  This year we are also introducing a brand new Dog Breeds workshop to help children realise that not every dog is exactly the same as well as a workshop about Dexter the Dog, geared towards younger children.

 

Which workshop is your favourite and why?

I love teaching the Safety workshops because it’s so important for all children to learn how to safely approach a dog in the company of an owner and in what situations they should avoid a dog; such as when they’re eating or sleeping. School children love getting to meet my Education Dog, Brave, at the end of the workshop, putting into practice what they’ve learned. It’s particularly rewarding to see a child who’s nervous of dogs overcome their fear and have the confidence to pet a big dog like Brave. Because they have learned how to do it safely and because Brave is such a gentle friendly dog, it is a really positive experience for them.

 

Is the Education Team involved at any other events at Dogs Trust?

We attend lots of different events at Dogs Trust, such a Santa visit with some children at the centre before Christmas, where we also taught workshops giving lots of tips and advice for dog owners at Christmas time. We also attend the Supporters’ Event at the centre every year, the RDS Horseshow each summer and the various other doggy events that pop up over the course of the year!

 

 

If you would like to book a workshop with Aoife you can contact her on 087 923 9221 or at aoife.deburca@dogstrust.ie.

 

If you would like to find out if Dogs Trust offers FREE Education Workshops in your area, contact education@dogstrust.ie. 

 

IPPN 2014

The Dogs Trust Education Team would like to say thank you to all the principals who stopped by to see us at our stand at the IPPN (Irish Primary Principals' Network) last week.  We now have many more schools to add to the list of those who have benefitted from our free Educational Workshops and the whole team is looking forward to meeting all your students and teachers!

Meet the Education Team Part 2

Meet South East Education Officer Deirdre and her dogs Sadhbh, Cónán and Béibhinn.  Deirdre tells us about her role as part of the Education Team.

 

 

 

Hi Deirdre, tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Deirdre Uí Dhubhda.  I am a fully qualified secondary school teacher, but my passion for dogs brought me to the role of Education Officer at Dogs Trust where I can combine my love of teaching with my love of dogs!

 

How long have you worked at Dogs Trust?

I first began working at Dogs Trust in January 2011, but I moved to the South East region in January 2012.

 

What parts of Ireland do you visit?

I visit primary schools and community groups in the five counties in the Sunny South East – Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford and Tipperary.

 

Tell us about your Education Dogs.

I am lucky enough to have three Education Dogs, Sadhbh and Cónán are lively 4 and 3 year old Miniature Schnauzers while Béibhinn is an affectionate Crossbreed.  Sadhbh and Cónán come with me the first time I visit a school while Béibhinn normally comes with me the second time.  They all have tonnes of personality and must be some of the luckiest dogs in the world to get to come to work with me every day and meet so many lovely children.

 

What makes a good Education Dog?

Any Education Dog must be trained and undergo a temperament and behaviour assessment with our qualified Training and Behaviour Advisors to ensure their suitability to work with children and in a school environment.  As you can imagine, schools are a very different environment to what a dog comes across in his or her daily life so an Education Dog must be very adaptable to change and able to cope with noisy, busy places.  Our Education Dogs are always friendly, calm, patient and well-behaved.  They all enjoy meeting children safely on a daily basis and bring such joy to them; even children who have previously been afraid of dogs.

 

Do you have any advice for people who are considering getting a dog of their own?

As part of Education Programme, we encourage children and their families to ‘press paws’ and stop and think about the decision to take a dog into their lives.  After all, they are a 15 year commitment.  It is important to think about what your dog will need to be healthy and happy, how much it costs to keep a dog, how to interact safely with your new pal and whether you have the time to commit to such a sociable animal – children can learn all this information when they attend our free educational workshops. And of course we would also love people to consider adopting a dog from Dogs Trust to give a dog in need the happiness they deserve – I have to say my favourite breed of dog is rescue dog!

 

If you would like to book a workshop with Deirdre you can contact her on 087 296 5883 or at deirdre.uidhubhda@dogstrust.ie.

If you would like to find out if Dogs Trust offers FREE Education Workshops in your area, contact education@dogstrust.ie.

Meet the Education Team Part 1

Meet Education Officer Fiona and her dog, Jake!  They are our Dublin and East Education Team.  Fiona has taken time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions all about her job at Dogs Trust:

Hi Fiona, tell us a bit about yourself.

My full name is Fiona Simpson.  I am Scottish and have been living in Ireland for 7 years now. I love dogs, am passionate about animal welfare and education.

 
How long have you worked at Dogs Trust?

I have been lucky enough to work in Dogs Trust for nearly two and half years.

What parts of Ireland do you visit?

I am the Education officer for the Dublin and Eastern area.  I cover County Dublin and the borders of County Meath, County Kildare and County Wicklow.

Tell us about your Education Dog, Jake.

Jake is my beautiful 4 year old Boxer dog.  He is a gentle giant and has been visiting schools with me over the last couple of years.  He loves meeting hundreds of pupils each week and helping to spread the word on responsible dog ownership!

What does a typical day as an Education Officer involve?

We present FREE responsible dog ownership workshops for primary schools 5-12 year olds. I cover up to 4 workshops a day.  If the school has more than 4 classes we can visit over a couple of days.  We have a variety of responsible dog ownership workshops I present with my trustee companion, Jake! The workshops lasts 30-45mins, depending on the age group, and are curriculum linked.

What do you do during the school holidays?

We are kept busy in the holidays visiting libraries, special needs groups and Montessoris!

Do you do school tours of the Dogs Trust centre?

We offer tours of our Dogs Trust centre here in Finglas.  These are FREE and are for all groups, primary education, secondary education, disability, Montessori groups etc.  These run on Fridays only between 12 noon and 1pm. 

What do you like most about your job?

I love educating the future dog owners about responsible dog ownership and knowing that this will make a difference in lowering the volume of stray and abandoned dogs.  I love being with my dog each day and visiting a variety of schools.

If you would like to book a workshop with Fiona you can contact her on 087 136 0771 or at fiona.simpson@dogstrust.ie.

If you would like to find out if Dogs Trust offers FREE Education Workshops in your area, contact education@dogstrust.ie.

learnwithdogs.ie

Did you know that the Dogs Trust Education Team has its very own website called www.learnwithdogs.ie?  Bursting with ideas, our education programme is linked to the Primary School Curriculum and offers a fresh perspective on looking after dogs.  So whether you are a teacher in search of exciting classroom resources or a young person in search of fun activities and games all about our furry friends, www.learnwithdogs.ie is the site for you!