If you’d like to take your love of animals to the next level, think about starting a club!

Clubs are a great way for people who share interests and passions to work together on projects that matter to them. The BC SPCA Kids Club is all about joining together kids who care about animals – but you can do even more right where you live by starting a club of your own!

Need some help to get started? Visit spca.bc.ca/schoolclubs. There, you’ll find the complete BC SPCA School Club Manual. Get tips on planning your first club meeting and getting the word out to other students, and ideas for projects you can do together.

Once your club is formed – or if you already have a school animal club – we want to hear all about how it’s going! Register your club and we’ll send you a “Welcome to the Club” package. We might even feature you as an example for other kids looking for inspiration, so send your club’s photos and stories to kids@spca.bc.ca. 

This week, the West Vancouver SPCA started a Book Buddies volunteer program. Book Buddies lets kids in Grades 1-8 visit the shelter after school with their parents to read to the cats. Book Buddies is a great way to spend quality time with some furry friends and practise your reading, and it helps the cats by giving them more socialization time while they’re awaiting adoption.

Want to be a Book Buddy? If you live near the West Vancouver SPCA, you and your parents can contact them for information. If the program is popular, other BC SPCA branches might start offering Book Buddies in the future, so stay tuned to spca.bc.ca.

And remember, you can become a Book Buddy right away at home, practising your reading and spending quality time with your own cat, dog or small animal, or visiting a friend or relative who has animals. Reading aloud isn’t always easy, but the more you do it, the better you get. Sometimes reading out loud to an animal feels easier, because animals have a wonderful way of just listening and they definitely aren’t bothered if you make a mistake!

Check out some book suggestions below!

The Bookshop Dog by Cynthia Rylant

Martha Jane spends every day at her guardian’s bookshop, and everyone who visits the shop loves her. When her guardian becomes ill and needs a dog-sitter for a week, they all want to do it, and become rather silly trying to be the one to care for Martha Jane! Who will be chosen?

The Happy Tale of Two Cats by Cathy M. Rosenthal

This book tells the story of two cats – one who is happy and one who is unhappy. What makes the happy cat happy, and can the kindness of strangers help the unhappy cat become a happy one?

The Forgotten Rabbit by Nancy Furstinger

Rabbits can make wonderful pets, but sadly they are often given as gifts without much thought to their future care, and end up forgotten or abandoned. This story is told from the point of view of one of these rabbits, who finds herself outdoors in the middle of winter, cold and hungry. Will Bunny find a safe, warm home?

November's Furry Friend of the Month is Leo, a six-month-old tabby cat!

Though he's growing into a handsome young adult, Leo is still a kitten at heart. He loves to play and enjoys a good snuggle, too. Leo is awaiting his forever home at the Shuswap SPCA in Salmon Arm.

Please note: Leo was available for adoption at the time this article was written, and may have found his forever home since then. Visit the BC SPCA website to discover more furry friends currently looking for homes.