St. Vincent Summer Camp '24
Our Summer Camp 2024 (August 2024)
We thank VSPCA for displaying our association’s name and logo on the Summer Camp flyers: „Sponsored by the Association for Aid and Support of Creole Dogs Germany“
The children thank our president for sponsoring the summer camp – and we thank out donators who have made this possible!
August 5th was a rainy day…
But the dogs were already waiting for their visitors!
Inside all materials for the coming lessons,…
…here the classroom and the kitchen. The summer camp won’t be only fun and games but also lessons in Humane Education.
The next day the weather was fine and the summer camp could finally start!
The children met the dogs…
…and each one of them chose his favorite…
…to take care off during the whole time of the camp.
They write their dog’s name on leashes and collars.
So they know which one to put on their dog when they go for walks.
The first lesson…
During the first lesson the children discussed the rules that will have to be followed during the summer camp.
The lesson plan for the first day…
After the children had taken down the summer camp rules VSPCA’s president Jhanice Nelson introduced the summer camp team:
The teachers Andreanna St. Luce and Daniela Hackshaw, the volunteers Joleen and Siamara and Jean, member of the VSPCA since many years.
Then it’s time to feed the dogs. Everything is already waiting…
Every child prepares the food for its dog. This girl has chosen Wendy and Wendy gets a cup of rice, a cup of dried dogfood, a spoon of chicken and a cup of sauce. The little boy at her side watches closely…
He will be the next to prepare food for his dog.
Joleen is always ready to help the kids.
The children are very attentive and the grown ups take care that each dog gets the right amount.
Every child has a full bowl now…
…and goes to feed their dog.
During feeding time the children stay with their animals.
Afterwards they return to the kitchen to wash the bowls.
Then it’s time for a break,…
…a snack and a drink.
The next morning they discussed what they had learnt the day before.
Jhanice said that the children had really good ideas about leadership and that they will be role models when they return to school in September.
The 5 freedoms for animals were on the lesson plan for the following weeks.
These are the topics Jhanice Nelson teaches also in schools.
Subject of the first lesson om Monday.
The children were asked what would happen to them if they didn’t eat and drink. They had a lot of answers including various diseases and death. They learnt that the same things happen to dogs when they don’t have food or water.
On Tuesday the children talked about what they had learnt the day before. The smallest were still a bit timid to speak into the microphone…
That changed quickly when they started singing together.
Wednesday’s lesson plan.
It is still very common in the Caribbean to keep dogs tied with much too short chains or locked up in tiny cages. The teachers had prepared a cardboard box…
…and every child had to sit in it for a while.
Crouching in the much too small box…
…they experienced the situation of dogs being locked up.
Asked if they could imagine to sleep like this they answered vehemently with „No!“
All kids felt very uncomfortable in this box and were glad to get out of fit. Now they have an idea how dogs feel like being locked up for life and they learnt that animals suffer in the same way as people do.
Afterwards they wrote down what can be done to make an animal feel comfortable.
They had many ideas and showed how much they have already learnt during these few past days.
In the afternoon it was time…
…to take the dogs for a long walk…
…that ended at the beach.
Every child led the dog it was in charge of during the summer camp.
The dogs loved it!
According to them the summer camp could last forever!
Back at the VSPCA headquarters 3 abandoned puppies had arrived in the meantime…
…and the children took care of them.
Thursday’s topic.
During the lesson it was emphasized again that animals feel and suffer in the same way humans do.
And they learned how important prevention is.
Jhanice had brought photos and medicine.
The children learned about the most common parasites and the diseases they cause…
Mithilfe der Fotos lernen die Kinder etwas über:
…as well as how to put on dressings…
…take temperature…
…and recognize mange…
…and how to treat it.
In the afternoon they played, some with the puppies, others with a ball.
On Friday some kids were missing so instead of having a lesson they visited a pet shop.
It was quite an amazing experience for the children to see all the different things sold for animals.
Leashes and collars…
…bowls, vitamins, care and grooming products…
…parasite treatments…
…and treats!
And not only for dogs but also for cats…
…birds and other animals!
The visit of the pet shop was followed by a long walk with the dogs to the beach.
The third week of the summer camp started with a very hot day. Not all the children were there. Therefore the lesson was postponed…
…and the kids created fans…
…and placemats instead.
Beutiful creations were the result.
Afterwards they took the dogs for a walk…
…to the beach.
Also the dogs were panting and sweating that day.
On Tuesday Humane Education continued with lesson 4; the freedom to express normal behaviour.
The children were asked what dogs do when they have a chance to behave normally.
They had many ideas which they wrote down and then read out in class.
The teacher wrote everything on her blackboard…
…and that showed there: Dogs bark, dogs go for walks, dogs interact with one another. The children have understood that dogs are social beings that need to move and to have company!
Wednesday the fifth and last lecture of the 5 freedoms was taught: Freedom from fear and distress.
Again the children wrote down their ideas…
…and read them out afterwards.
First of all they had thought about what they are scared of themselves: Spiders, centipedes, cockroaches and public embarassment. Then they had thought about what might scare dogs: Snakes, loud noises,…
…bigger dogs and – surprise! - humans!
That means that the children are already aware of the fact that not everybody on the island is kind to animals.
Then the teachers started an experiment, showing the children with the help of soft bandages how much stress it means not to be able to move freely.
After trying to walk a short distance like this the children had an idea – like before with the cardboard box – how a dog must suffer being chained its whole life.
Thursday they went for a very long walk.
Of course they went to the sea…
…and into the water!
The dogs bathed…
…and cooled down.
They loved it!
Friday was a creative day.
The children learned how to sew small pillows…
…which they decorated with butterflies.
And they created a card: „Thank you to our donors“. The rest of the day they played with the dogs and took them for a walk.
The last week of the summer camp was a week of high lights and surprises.
On Monday the last lesson was held.
During the past weeks the children have learnt how to treat animals kindly. Today Jhanice Nelson spoke with them about the importance of spay neuter.
Christian’s mother is a vet who has already spayed and neutered for the VSPCA.
So Christian could tell the other kids already a lot about spaying females and neutering males.
Then Jhanice Nelson talked about overpopulation and sick and starving strays as consequence of lacking spay neuter.
These drawings show the children how fast uncontrolled reproduction leads to overpopulation.
A female dog has 2 litters per year with an average of 7 – 8 puppies that will be fertile with 5 months; a female cat may have litters up to 3 times a year with 4 – 6 babies. Therefore it is very important to spay neuter animals at an age of approximately 5 months.
The children had a lot questions, for example how spay neuter affects the animals‘ health and Jhanice explained that, besides unwanted reproduction, spay neuter can also help to prevent a number of diseases like the sticker sarcoma, a common tumour in the Caribbean passed on by a virus when dogs mate.
In the end every child had understood: One puppy is adorable but countless puppies are a problem.
On Tuesday Mr. Charles was supposed to come with his horse but it was thundering and raining until the afternoon.
The next day was bright and sunny and there they were, Mr. Charles and his beautiful horse!
First of all Mr. Charles talked to the children about the personality of horses, how to treat them and about his special relationship to his own horse. Then he asked every child to come forward to make contact with the horse, stroke it…
…and give it a kiss on the nose. For the children it was the first time they were so close to such a big animal. Afterwards all of them went for a ride along the beach…
…also Jhanice Nelson who is a great horse lover.
Quickly the children got over their initial shyness. They enjoyed the ride very much…
…and for all of them this remains a wonderful, unforgettable day!
On Thursday they made an excursion…
…to the WindBlow Valley Ranch of Wesley Mofford where a lot of animals lead a happy life in an environment appropriate to their species.
The rabbits thrilled them…
…especially these small ones that were only 3 weeks old.
Mr. Mofford took them on a tour and explained everything. He told them that the sheep come in from the pasture in the afternoon when he rings a little bell, each seeking its own pen , and how they use their automatic water dispenser by pushing a small yellow button with their noses to fill the bowl with fresh, cool water. Then he brought a small rabbit so that the children could stroke it. Afterwards he took them to the horses and donkeys.
On the way they met a lizard. Just as with the little rabbit the children showed a lot of tenderness and sensibility. During the summer camp they have learnt that all animals, not just dogs and cats, feel as they do themselves.
They have also learnt a lot from Mr. Charles‘ visit the day before…
…and are a lot more confident in dealing with the horses.
The summer camp ended on Friday with party at the VSPCA headquarters.
They had a lot of fun…
…and danced a lot.
Dressed up with a dog’s mask and in a Scooby Doo costume…
…the children played a role game and talked about how dogs feel treated by humans.
Saying Good bye was hard for everybody. The comments of the parents were very favorably and the children want to stay involved in the VSPCA. The summer camp was a great beginning of our partnership with the VSPCA in our most sustainable animal welfare project!
Starting 2025 we will send our vet Claudia Bretthauer to St. Vincent annually to spay neuter 300 animals and we will send volunteers to support Humane Education at schools and in communities.