Say Hello to Ollie!

We have another new team member to introduce you to this week! Ollie the boxer is the newest member of the Dublin & East Education and Community team along with Jake and Fiona! Ollie is thrilled to be able to visit schools with Fiona, and Jake is looking forward to being able to work part time from now on :)

Ollie (left) and his big brother Jake!

Ollie was a Dog Trust dog who came to live with Fiona and Jake almost a year ago and since then Jake has been busy teaching him about life in a loving home, and helping him get ready for life as a famous education dog!

 

We asked Ollie a few questions so you could find out more about him!

 

Hi Ollie, tell us all a little bit about yourself!

 

Well, there's lots to tell about me! I'm about 3 years old and came to live with my big bro Jake almost a year ago now! I'm a boxer, but they say I'm a small one- I say good things come in small packages!!! I was found wondering around with no one looking after me, and was taken to a place called the pound. I stayed there for a while and then a lovely man from Dogs Trust came to pick me up and took me away from the pound. A short while later I moved in with that lovely man, and Fiona, and Jake!

 

What's it like having a new family?

 

I was a little nervous at first, what if they didn't like me? What if I made a mistake and did something wrong? Then I remembered, I'm awesome and everybody loves me! I did make a few mistakes at the start but Jake showed me what to do and now I'm practically perfect in every way!

 

What are your likes/dislikes?

 

I love playing with my ball, it's my favourite toy! I love going for my 2 walks everyday, it's great getting out even when it's raining, and I love to smell all the new smells :). Dinner time is also amazing, as are cuddles! There's so many things that I love to do in fact! I had my first visit to school last week and I know I'm going to love doing that too!



Once I've done all the things I love to do everyday, I like to chill out on my back with all four paws in the air-you have to try it! It's soooooo comfortable.

 

Things I don't like? Jumping into the car- Jake says I'm lazy but why would I jump in when I can be lifted in?? Mum's working on this with me though, and I think my days being lifted in are numbered!

 

I have to say though, my ultimate favourite thing in the whole wide world? My family!!! Especially my big brother Jake- he's just the best!

 

What kind of training have you had?

 

Well, when I came home with my new family, I didn't know much about living in a home. So they all showed me how to behave in a house, what I was allowed to chew on, what I wasn't allowed to chew on, things like that.  I didn't know any clever things either when I arrived, but now I can sit, lie down, and I can give the paw! I'm learning to spin at the moment too :)
 



 

What do you think about your new job, and what are you most looking forward to?

 

Ollie is ready to roll!

I love that I get to go to work, it's so cool. I used to watch Jake leave for school in the morning and imagine it was me, and now it is! We're going to share work, so Jake will go some days, and I'll go on others! Perfect!

 

I'm most looking forward to making lots of new friends while I'm out helping Fiona educate young people on being a responsible dog owner. I can't wait until I'm introduced to all the small people in schools, and to get lots of rubs off them - only after they ask Fiona of course!

 

 

 

Welcome to the team Ollie! :) 

 

 

If you're a primary school and would like a visit from our Education Team in Dublin & the East, you can contact Fiona on 0871360771 or by email on Fiona.simpson@dogtrust.ie.

Alternatively, contact education@dogstrust.ie or visit www.learnwithdogstrust.ie to find out if there's an Education and Community Officer in your area.



Fantastic FUNdraising!

Did you know that Dogs Trust is Ireland's largest dog welfare organisation and that we don't receive any funding from the government? This means that we rely solely on the generosity of members of the public to help us take care of all the dogs in our care, providing them with everything they need to be healthy and happy dogs!

 

The Education Team are fortunate enough to get to visit schools who are really keen to help raise funds for Dogs Trust, and we often get asked how schools can do this! Well, with that in mind we created a FUNdraising Kit for Schools, packed full of ideas and guidance on lots of FUN ways to help us here at Dogs Trust.

 

Some of the exciting things to be found in our new FUNdraising Kit for Schools!

 

 

We've got letters from Jimmy'n'Chew, sponsorship cards, and posters, all ready and waiting for schools to use if they decide they would like to fundraise for us!

 

Click HERE for our FUNdraising poster!

Click HERE for our Sponsor Form

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our new kit will be available on our education website www.learnwithdogstrust.ie, and can also be accessed by following this link- FUNraising Kit for Schools.

 

We think the most important part of fundraising is the FUN! So make sure you have lots of it!

Odie's On the Team!

We've had so many changes in the Education Team recently, and today we've got another two pieces of exciting news to share with you!

 

First off: we have a new member of the team! Dawn's dog, Odie, is now officially part of the Education Team, having passed his assessment with Dogs Trust's Training and Behaviour Team. Dawn is super thrilled to be able to bring Odie with her at last, and Odie is just as happy!

 

Say hello to Odie, our newest team member

We thought that you would like to get to know him a bit, so we asked him some questions about himself.

Odie, tell us a little about yourself.

 

I'm the best dog ever! Well, that's what Dawn says at least- she wouldn't lie to me would she? I'm 14 months old, and I've been living with Dawn for 7 months. I had been part of a family as a puppy, but then suddenly found myself in a place with some other dogs! I heard my people say something about jumping on the children  (boy I love to play!) and messing in the house, whatever that means! So I stayed in my new place for a while, and then I met Dawn and said that she could take me home.

 

How did you know you wanted Dawn to take you home?

 

Easy. I could smell the dog treats in her pocket.

 

What's your favourite thing to do?

 

That's so hard - I love EVERYTHING! Well, everything except baths, yuck! I do love to find Dawn's shoes and play chase with her when she tries to get them back... well it's not my fault she leaves them where I can get them!!!! I also saw one of those Andrex doggies on the TV playing with the toilet roll, it looked like fun so I tried it- it's SOOOOOO much fun!!! I like to decorate the house with it :) I love to play with my toys, and especially love to play with other dogs. I'm trying to convince Dawn to adopt another dog for me to play with!

What's your least favourite thing to do?

 

Baths, I just don't understand why Dawn makes me have one! All the treats in the world don't make up for her getting rid of the awesome smell I've spent weeks building up! I have to go to someone else every couple of months who makes me look even more handsome than I usually do, I don't mind her so much, especially when I see how good I look.

I also don't like being left alone, I'm getting used to it now a little, but I get afraid that Dawn's not coming back when she leaves. She gives me some tasty treats and my favourite Kong when she leaves, that keeps me busy!

 

Have you had any training?

 

Yes! Lots and lots! The first thing I learned was where to go to the toilet, no one had told me that it was meant to be outside before! Dawn also took me to training classes which I had great fun at, and I learned lots of new things there, and I got to show off my massive dog smarts! Dawn says that training is a great way to keep me busy, and all dogs should have some training. We do a little bit most days- I love showing off how clever I am.

 



Odie rocking his new uniform.

What do you think about your new job?

 

I'm soooooo excited!!!! I love small peoples soooooo much. I think they're my favourite kind of people! They're so much fun! Dawn says that if I stay nice and quiet and calm while she's talking to the children, that at the end I might get rubs off of some of them! How cool is that?!

I met Jake last week and he gave me some tips too, he's been doing the job for ages and knows alllllll about it. I hope I can be as good as he is!

 

 

Finally, what are you looking forward to most about being an Education Dog?

 

That's easy. I can't wait to help teach the children all about what dogs like me need to be healthy and happy! I think they'll be great dog parents when they grow up, and their dogs will be as happy as I am! I also can't wait for all the rubs from the small peoples, I love rubs!

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the team Odie! :)

 

 

Our second piece of news today is that Odie, and Dawn, who was our South Connaught and Clare Education and Community Officer, are now covering the Cork and South West Munster area in place of the lovely Liadh. Dawn says:

 

"I'm so excited about taking over the Cork and South West Munster area, especially with the news that Dogs Trust will be opening a new Rehoming Centre in Cork in the not too distant future! I'll miss Connaught and Clare though, and had a fantastic year setting up the new area and meeting lots of lovely children (& teachers!) on my travels. I'm sure whoever takes over the area will love it just as much as I did"

 

Dawn has already started visiting schools in the area and is taking bookings for the academic year so if you're a Cork or Kerry school who would like to arrange a visit, you can email her on dawn.kavanagh@dogstrust.ie, or call on 087 9239221.

 

If you would like to find out if there's an Education and Community Officer in your area, visit www.learnwithdogstrust.ie or email education@dogstrust.ie.

Back to School with the Education Team

September is finally here!  While the children of Ireland are busy packing their school bags and off to meet their new teachers and classmates, the Education Team is also busy getting ready for another exciting year in the classroom.  Here’s a sneak peak at our ‘back-to-school kit’, Dogs Trust style!

The Education Dogs:

Jake, Sadhbh, Cónán, Béibhinn and Odie are the Dogs Trust Education Dogs and spend four days a week in primary schools around Ireland, teaching children how to be responsible dog owners and how to be safe around their canine pals.  These dogs-with-a-job need to be happy and comfortable in the classroom, so they never leave home without some of their favourite things:

·         a yellow Dogs Trust collar, I.D. tag and harness – Education dogs have a uniform, too!

·         a comfy bed or blanket

·         a bowl of thirst-quenching water

·         a dog toy or two for entertainment

·         a brush to tame flyaway fur

·         a tasty treat or two – maybe a bone to chew or a Kong filled with something yummy

The Education Officers:

Fiona, Deirdre and Dawn give four fantastic workshops a day – they meet nearly 500 children each a week!  As you can imagine, their bags are bursting with fun activities and exciting items for each and every pupil.  Let’s take a look inside:

·         giant flashcards with doggy items make learning fun for Junior and Senior Infants

·         the story of MacGyver the dog tells us what it’s like for a dog to come to Dogs Trust to find a home

·         workshop cards with safety situations, the cost of a dog or dog breeds make each workshop interactive and informative

·         colouring or puzzles for teacher to use after the visit

·         certificates of participation

·         information leaflets

·         stickers

·         funky Dogs Trust wristbands!

Your school can check out the website www.learnwithdogstrust.ie to find your local Education Officer, or email education@dogstrust.ie. 

Welcome back Dee!

The Education Team at Dogs Trust is delighted to welcome back Deirdre Uí Dhubhda, our South East Education Officer, and her terrific trio of education dogs!

 

 

Deirdre and her fabulous canine crew have been working hard in the South East since 2012 educating young people about being a Responsible Dog Owner and staying safe with dogs,  and we're thrilled to have them back again! After a long break, we know Sadhbh and Cónán are already getting back into the swing of things visiting libraries along with Deirdre and getting lots of attention!

 

 

 

 

Deirdre tells us that she's really looking forward to getting back into the classroom for lots of new pawsitive experiences, and that Sadhbh, Cónán and Béibhinn are thrilled to be out of their temporary retirement to help her!

Deirdre is currently taking school bookings for the new school year, so if you're a school in the South East who would like a visit from Dogs Trust, you can contact Deirdre by email on Deirdre.UiDhubhda@dogstrust.ie, or by phone on 087 2695883. You can also contact the education team on education@dogstrust.ie , or visit our education website www.learnwithdogstrust.ie to see if there's an education officer in your area.
 

On the Scent of Clues @ Doggy Detectives!

Last Sunday, 16th August, the Education Team ran a fantastic Doggy Detectives event in our rehoming centre in Finglas. We were so excited about this event as we had added some new and exciting activities which we were just dying to see being carried out!
 

 

Ready for our Doggy Detectives!

Well, our little super sleuths didn't disappoint. We had about 30 people come along for the afternoon, and they all got a fantastic tour of the centre to start off our detective themed fun! On their tour our inspectors had to hunt out clues to find the answers to some responsible dog owner questions. They also had to keep their eyes peeled for some specific things around the centre, the most exciting of which started with 'P' and ended with 'uppies' .... they were even lucky enough to not just see some of our puppies, but to meet one too!
 

 

Getting ready for a behind the scenes tour...

 

After the excitement of the tour and a recap of the clues they found, it was time to move onto the investigations. In groups, our little detectives found out about some of a dogs senses- sight, hearing and smell. Each group got to carry out a little experiment to compare dogs senses to human senses and then they had to use what they found out to design a dog toy! We had some amazing designs and everyone got a little prize at the end, with our top 5 designs getting extra special prizes!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had such a great afternoon, so a big thanks to our Doggy Detectives! Roll on next year!

Farewell Fiona and Meg!

We have another goodbye to say this week in the Education Team. This time to the lovely Fiona R and her marvellous Meg, who have been our Education Team in the South East since August 2014. Fiona and Meg have done a fantastic job of educating the dog owners of tomorrow on the importance of being safe and sounds around hounds, and on what dogs need to stay healthy and happy, while Deirdre has been off on maternity leave.

The obligatory selfie!

This dynamic duo have met lots of fantastic people during their time at Dogs Trust, and we made sure to catch up with them before they finished up to find out what they enjoyed the most!

 
“I’ve made so many great memories over the last year. But my stand out memory is of Meg when she passed her assessment to bring her out in the schools, I was very excited on that day! I’ve had Meg since she was a puppy and I never dreamed that I’d have a chance to bring her to work with me every day.  I also  loved the excitement, enthusiasm and lovely welcome from the children when visiting their classrooms too!

It’s hard to pick one thing that I’ll miss the most! I’ll really miss EO team; I loved being a part of such an enthusiastic team! I’ll also miss my visits to the centre too for all the great events that took place over the last year too!”

 

“Meeting all the boys and girls in all the schools in the South East was the bests memorys! I couldn’t believes my luck when   Fiona brought me out for the first time! I gots soooooooo many rubs! I just I thoughts I must be the luckiest dog in Ireland! I also got to meet a Home and Away soap star too, lucky me, and luckys him too to meets me!

I miss all the attention I receive  froms all the boys and girls every day! I loved going out in the yellow Dogs Trust car, I’ll really miss my trips out in the car everys day!”

 

Fiona and Meg have promised to keep us up to date with their adventures, and we here in Dogs Trust wish them the very best of luck!

 

Fret not though South East, we have good news on the way in the next few weeks.... so stay tuned!