Meet the Education Team Part 1

Meet Education Officer Fiona and her dog, Jake!  They are our Dublin and East Education Team.  Fiona has taken time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions all about her job at Dogs Trust:

Hi Fiona, tell us a bit about yourself.

My full name is Fiona Simpson.  I am Scottish and have been living in Ireland for 7 years now. I love dogs, am passionate about animal welfare and education.

 
How long have you worked at Dogs Trust?

I have been lucky enough to work in Dogs Trust for nearly two and half years.

What parts of Ireland do you visit?

I am the Education officer for the Dublin and Eastern area.  I cover County Dublin and the borders of County Meath, County Kildare and County Wicklow.

Tell us about your Education Dog, Jake.

Jake is my beautiful 4 year old Boxer dog.  He is a gentle giant and has been visiting schools with me over the last couple of years.  He loves meeting hundreds of pupils each week and helping to spread the word on responsible dog ownership!

What does a typical day as an Education Officer involve?

We present FREE responsible dog ownership workshops for primary schools 5-12 year olds. I cover up to 4 workshops a day.  If the school has more than 4 classes we can visit over a couple of days.  We have a variety of responsible dog ownership workshops I present with my trustee companion, Jake! The workshops lasts 30-45mins, depending on the age group, and are curriculum linked.

What do you do during the school holidays?

We are kept busy in the holidays visiting libraries, special needs groups and Montessoris!

Do you do school tours of the Dogs Trust centre?

We offer tours of our Dogs Trust centre here in Finglas.  These are FREE and are for all groups, primary education, secondary education, disability, Montessori groups etc.  These run on Fridays only between 12 noon and 1pm. 

What do you like most about your job?

I love educating the future dog owners about responsible dog ownership and knowing that this will make a difference in lowering the volume of stray and abandoned dogs.  I love being with my dog each day and visiting a variety of schools.

If you would like to book a workshop with Fiona you can contact her on 087 136 0771 or at fiona.simpson@dogstrust.ie.

If you would like to find out if Dogs Trust offers FREE Education Workshops in your area, contact education@dogstrust.ie.