The Dog's Trust visit BGS
4th February 2009
Pupils at Belmont Grosvenor School will be given a lesson in pet care when two Jack Russell terriers visit next week.
Dennis and Maisy will be spending time at the co-educational independent preparatory school, along with owner Donna Sayce, to explain the work of the animal welfare charity The Dog’s Trust.
National charity The Dog’s Trust has launched a new campaign to raise awareness about responsible dog ownership – and Belmont Grosvenor is the first school in the Harrogate district to be visited by the Trust’s Education Officer Donna Sayce “As Education Officer for the Dog’s Trust, my work is to educate children aged seven to 11 about responsible dog ownership. By visiting schools, my aim is to target children before they get a dog and prepare them for all the responsibilities involved with owning a dog,” she said.
“As well as doing an assembly with the children, I’m hoping to run classroom-based workshops and have an on-going relationship with schools to highlight the work of the Dog’s Trust,” she said.
The Dog’s Trust assembly is one of a number of regular assemblies organized at Belmont Grosvenor School, based at Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith.
Headteacher Jane Merriman said she was delighted The Dog’s Trust had chosen to visit Belmont Grosvenor. “At Belmont Grosvenor we aim to offer a wide range of assemblies which provide the opportunity for children to reflect and respond on a range of issues, which aim to develop community spirit and celebrate shared values and aspirations.
“Many children in school have pets and they need to learn how to look after them and develop a sense of responsibility both now and in the future. The assembly will also hopefully give children who do not own a dog, or feel uncomfortable around them the opportunity to feel more confident around dogs and to know the correct way to approach them and stroke them,” she said.
