April 2010

The latest Bark! magazine has arrived! In this issue guinea pigs take centre stage. Included is a four-page pullout guide all about caring for guinea pigs. You’ll also find a behind-the-scenes look at the BC SPCA’s Wild ARC wildlife rehabilitation centre in Metchosin and information on baby birds and raccoons. Our regular “High Paws” feature highlights some of the amazing things kids are doing to help animals around the province. Students will enjoy this colourful, informative magazine that they can reference for projects or read at their leisure.

Look for this issue in your library or order a class set of this issue by email and include your name, number of students, grade, school name and address and we’ll package them up and send them off to your class.

The Dog Who Belonged to No One 
by Emily Bates

The Dog Who Belonged to No One, written by Amy Hest with pictures by Amy Bates, weaves the separate stories of a stray dog with crooked ears and a “wisp of a girl” named Lia, each in need of a friend. Using soft watercolour illustrations, this sweet book paints a world filled with baseballs, bicycles, and a bakery on the edge of town. With lovely parallels drawn between the little dog and the little girl, the story reaches its climax with a terrific storm that sends them both running for the safety and comfort of home. The Dog Who Belonged to No One is a poetic tale of friendship found that is sure to warm the hearts of children and grown-ups alike.

BC SPCA has many other book recommendations as well. 

Spring is a time of freshness and what better way to start than with a spring cleaning. Inspire your club members to help out at home with spring cleaning by giving them a list of items from your local shelter’s wish list that they can collect from home or other family and friends. Your club may want to encourage the whole school to get involved by putting up a poster in the school hallway about needed donation items, making an announcement and setting up a donation box.

There is always a need for supplies for cleaning, pet care, office and medical. Things such as dishwashing soap, rubber gloves, leashes, pet shampoo, paper, binders, packing tape, cotton swabs, peroxide, etc. You can find your local branch’s wish list by scrolling to the bottom of our home page, clicking on your branch then clicking on the support tab near the top of the page and on the Gift In Kind Wish List. Just think! Helping your parents clean and the animals at the same time - what a great way to make the world a better place.

Trooper really was the perfect name for this amazing golden retriever. When he was first brought to the Maple Ridge SPCA veterinarian Dr. Adrian Walton gave him two days to live. Trooper was not giving up and has made an amazing recovery. His recovery is in part due to his character and the loving foster home where he is currently living.

He has more than doubled his weight in just over a month since his arrival at the shelter. He arrived at just 24 lbs and is now 53 lbs and gaining. Trooper is already doing everything you’d expect of an energetic pup. Trooper’s foster dad says with a laugh, “He gets into shoes, he chews on the TV remote, he tears apart newspapers. He’s got his mojo back in more ways than one.”

Learn more about this news item and other BC SPCA news that you may want to include in class discussions.