Teachers' Pack

 Pet Needs

As well as good food and exercise, pets need interest in their lives,. A dog, for example, requires food, water, a house (your home plus a basket), a brush, toys (to chew on - instead of your furniture), a regular walk and a garden or park to exercise in. A ‘pooper scooper’ should be added to this list for all dog owners whose pets might foul public places. It is not the dog’s fault that it must go to the toilet, but it is the owner’s fault if the mess is not cleared up. Therefore don’t have a dog if you are unable to clean up after it.

In contrast, a rabbit requires a more varied diet than a dog (e.g. carrots, lettuce, grass, herbs, etc.), water, a home, friends (of the same sex), something to chew on, a nest and a garden run to exercise in. Be warned, rabbits often bite. Will you still want your rabbit if it turns into a ‘biter’? If not, don’t get a rabbit.

It is also important to remember that if we have pets, such as dogs and cats, which sometimes inhabit other people’s living space, we have a responsibility to those people to ensure that our pets do not disrupt their lives.

• Discuss the needs of various pets, using the pictures in the activity sheet to help you.

• Write on the board the words from the list opposite that go with each picture.

• Let the children colour the pictures and write in the correct words next to the appropriate picture.

• Ask the children to draw and colour their own pets. Then let them draw the appropriate items onto their picture or cut them out and stick them on. For example, a picture of a pet cat would also need pictures of food, water, a home, a brush, toys and a garden.

• The children can then choose two or three other pet animals to draw, again adding the items that the animal would need.

Word list

Food | Water | House | Friends | Brush | Chew | Toys | Nest | Burrow | Walk (a lead) | Garden

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