More cats, dogs and bunnies at the Humane Society of Greater Niagara have a greater chance of getting adopted thanks to a class of Grade 3 students at Central French Immersion Public School in Grimsby. After being sent some information about the animals available for adoption earlier in the spring, the youngsters put pencil to paper to help the animals find a new home. Heidi Stricko, the students’ teacher, said each of the youngsters was paired with an animal that didn’t get a lot of attention and needed an extra boost such as older cats and dogs.
“They wrote a persuasive letter from the perspective of that animal convincing a potential family to check them out and adopt them,” said Stricko who noted the children read their animal’s bio and did some research on the breed. “We spent a lot of time in class writing and editing, working on spelling and persuasive writing techniques.” Nineteen letters, which include the student’s drawing of the animal, have been posted at the shelter in public view near the kennel area since May.
Stricko said this is the third year her class has written letters for the animals at the Humane Society of Greater Niagara. The class visited the shelter in April. “I learned there’s a bunch of animals in this place (human society) and they need to have a home,” said nine-year-old Bennett Spiers-Gosse, who wrote a letter for Beef Cake, a boxer-mix dog at the shelter.
Nine-year-old Colin Healey wrote about Bruce Bunner, a bunny up for.