Teachers' Pack

 Introduction

The purpose of this Teacher’s Pack is to focus the attention of young children on the choice and care of their pets through a series of classroom discussions and activities. It is intended that teachers will select activities and discuss them with pupils, guiding them through the relevant sections. Notes on the activity sheets are in the text.

Although most pets are well looked after, many animals still find themselves unloved, unwanted or unmanageable. Even cats and dogs can be cruelly abused by heartless owners who may beat them, starve them, drown them or dump them by the roadside. A more common offence is simple neglect: for example, failing to clean out a pet rabbit regularly or forgetting to exercise the dog. Sometimes people neglect their pets without even realising it: for example, cages may be too small, the animal’s diet is dull or there is a lack of interesting things to do.

The best defence against unwanted or neglected pets is to ensure that prospective owners have all the knowledge and understanding necessary to care for them. However, children cannot be expected to take on this task alone. It is the responsibility of parents and teachers to promote a responsible and caring approach to pet ownership.

Pets in history

800,000 years ago, at the dawn of human evolution, the ancestors of our domestic dogs (wolves, foxes and jackals) were already well established in the wild. No one knows how these wild animals became domesticated but it is likely that hunters, coming across wild pups on their hunting expeditions, gave them to their children to play with. Dogs seem naturally willing to follow humans and readily substitute a human leader in place of another dog. This does not mean that dogs think they are human beings. On the contrary, if given a chance, dogs will play together, reproduce or fight other dogs who try to come into their territory. There are over 400 breeds of dog, all descended from a few wild species.

In ancient Egypt, dogs and cats were worshipped as God figures and many were embalmed to preserve their bodies and their godly qualities. The pharaohs also kept larger animals, such as lions and antelopes, as pets. It was even the custom for fashionable Egyptian women to wear live snakes around their necks as a status symbol or as a piece of living jewellery.

The Romans used dogs to guard their homes and were also very fond of keeping exotic birds as pets. Some Roman noblemen even harnessed lions to their chariots instead of horses; however - whether we can call these animals ‘pets’ is a debatable point.

In mediaeval times cats, though kept as pets by many people, were associated with witchcraft and risked being hanged or burned at the stake with their unfortunate owners. Later, however, cats re-emerged as a favourite pet animal in the household.

Pets today

The value of pets as an educational resource

Children are fascinated by animals and can relate to them on a variety of levels, for example, as real animals or as vehicles for telling a story. In addition, they (usually) have first-hand experience of at least one pet animal; if not their own, then a friend or neighbour’s. Children are also keen to discuss the exploits of their own particular pets and, in so doing, provide an access point for learning where their interest and motivation levels are high.

There are many opportunities for study in the Science curriculum. Download the PDF file for a detailed list of examples.

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