By Jocelyn Dickey
While many of their peers spent the March break hanging out or sleeping in, a dedicated group of teenage animal lovers spent the week at a petsitting course offered by the Ottawa Humane Society.
Christine Thurger, the workshop’s organizer, says it was designed to give young teens a chance to get involved.
“There are a lot of students under 16 who really want to help (at the Humane Society) but they’re not covered insurance-wise,” she says. “I thought about what else they could do and decided to start the program.”
Colin St. Jean, 12, is one such student.
“I wanted to volunteer but I was too young,” he says. “I came here because I have a lot of pets.”
St. Jean brought a blue budgie named Joey to show the other students. Joey seemed to enjoy the attention, hopping and flying around his cage and even saying his name in a whispery voice.
Thurger says the program is beneficial for the Humane Society because the students are a new generation of potential volunteers. If the students remain interested in animals and the Humane Society, they will be able to volunteer there when they are old enough .
The program, now in its seventh year, was held over five days. Students were invited to bring in their own pets from home and share what knowledge they had about them with the other students in the group.
“They can have that contact with animals they don’t necessarily have, or aren’t able to have at home,” says Thurger.
Guest speakers, such as a veterinarian and a dog groomer, spoke to the group about a variety of topics. Among the topics were animal first aid and how to start a petsitting service.
Michelle Tribe, a Humane Society staff member, told the group about small animals such as rats, gerbils, hamsters and mice.
“Sometimes it is hard to get access to people who can talk about animals. Even at pet stores they are (mainly) trying to sell,” she says. “If people are interested, (this program) gives them a chance to start learning on their own.”
Leigh St. Jacques, manager of the Pet Patch, a pet store at the Herongate Mall, taught the students about birds.
She says it’s not only students who benefit from the program.
“It’s rewarding even if it sparks one or two kids’ interest,” she says.
While a lot of the program was about conventional pets that students might encounter if they chose to start a petsitting service, one day did focus on exotic animals including snakes and ferrets.
It was a highlight for many of the students, including Lauren Webster, 13.
“It was cool,” she says. “They had two presentations and they had lots of snakes.”