Helping pets in need at Southampton Animal Shelter
Credit: Kidsday staff artist / Casey Chung, Wheatley Heights
Many animals end up homeless because owners abandon their pets. When they are abandoned, pets wander around and do not have anyone to take care of them and become strays. Stray animals easily get sick and carry diseases or will often have more babies, leading to more strays.
Fortunately for us, we have Southampton Animal Shelter. This shelter is a no-kill shelter, which means the animals are able to live there safely as long as they need to. Our class went to the Southampton Animal Shelter, and we saw a lot of cats. They have a special cat room that has toys for them to play with and climbing structures. They also get plenty of sun.
We also got to see a dog trainer show us how to train a dog. He not only used words but also used hand movements, which can help dogs that don’t hear very well. Each person in our class got to try to get the dog to sit and pet the dog.
The Southampton Animal Shelter is open seven days a week and offers many opportunities for volunteers. You can help by walking dogs and donating things like food, toys and beds for cats and dogs. The address is 102 Old Riverhead Rd., Hampton Bays. Look online at southamptonanimalshelter.com
Jillian Cagno and Deirdre Greenwald’s fifth-grade class, Tuckahoe School, Southampton
