Learning more about furry friends
SANDTON – The Grade 00s and 000s at Crawford Pre-Primary in Sandton recently had a visit from Top Dogs.
Crawford Pre-Primary Sandton Grade 00 and 000 children were recently treated to a visit from Touch Our Pets Therapy Dogs (aka Top Dogs) and their handlers.
The schoolchildren were taught that there are animals who aren’t lucky enough to have a warm home, and 4Paws is a safe place for them. 4Paws is a registered NPO which was established in July 2006. They improve the quality of life for animals from underprivileged communities.
On the day, each dog was introduced separately to the children and the dog handlers spoke about the special attributes their dog has. The children were able to touch the dogs and ask questions.
It was an exciting day where the children learnt the correct way to approach dogs, what to do with unknown dogs, and how to look after animals in general.
Grade 000 teacher, Bianca Fleishman, believes it is important for children to learn about respecting animals and the correct way to handle them.
Top Dogs is a voluntary therapy dog organisation, and their aim is to ‘spread smiles for miles’. They currently visit hospitals, old peoples’ homes, children’s homes and frail care centres in Benoni and surrounds.
Top Dogs runs three main programmes with their dogs, Animal Assisted Activities (AAA), Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal Education Programmes. In addition, they work in partnership with the 4Paws Animal Shelter in Diepsloot.
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