Fall 2012

Dog’s Best Friend

Dogs are faithful companions to humans; they are loyal, obedient and completely devoted to their

owners. They are constantly seek-ing their owner’s approval, so

when people abuse and neglect these faithful companions the ani-mals is left confused and without

hope. Dogs are more than just pets, they are the one thing in this world that can inspire and trans-form anyone. They are very social and loving; no matter what a dog

appears to be on the outside,

whether that is aggressive or submissive, underneath that exterior is a being who is looking for someone to love them. Dogs show more love and affection then most ani-

mals and when they are that wholeheartedly devoted to someone, all they want in return is your love.

Abused, neglected and injured dogs are left to fight for their lives every day; they are constantly in need of the support of others. Six to eight million dogs and cats are

euthanized each year, but a drastic number of these lives could be saved if people re-alized how valuable these companions are. My painting not only symbolizes one type

of animal abuse, but it also holds the abusers responsible for their cruelty. To stand by and watch a dog wither away is severe torture that no one should have to suffer

through. Animals deserve a lifetime of happiness and adoration; without them we would be without our ticket to sheer joy and complete devotion. So do you plan to sit

on the sidelines and watch or will you be Man’s Best Friend?

- Alexis Hatton

My Teen Track Experience 2

Stellar Service 3

Pick of the Litter 3

Artist’s Corner 4-6

Ask a Curator 7

For Your Consideration 8-9

Things to Remember 10

Inside this issue:

www.aawl.org/ED Education Department 30 North 40th Place Phoenix, AZ 85034 Phone: 602-273-6852 x122 Fax: 602-275-3610 Email: education@aawl.org

Alexis Hatton; oil on canvas

My Teen Track Experience

Teen Tracks is a once in a lifetime experience. There is more to the program than just trainings and

keeper care. I spend most of my 2012 summer helping out at Arizona Animal Welfare League’s

summer camps! It was an amazing experience I worked with a wide variety of kid ages 6-14. Not

only did I receive more experience handling the education animals but I also developed better peo-

ple and leadership skills. I have also received many hours of community service from summer

camps, which will help me when applying for scholarships and jobs. Teen Tracks has opened a

number of doors for me now and in my future. Working AAWL’s summer camps has helped me in

numerous ways and I look forward to working again this summer. - Kendra Wardon

I decided to join Teen Tracks my eighth grade year and it’s probably been one my best decisions. I’m now a sopho-

more and in my 4th semester at Teen Tracks. I wanted to get involved in teen tracks originally because, of course, I

love animals; I thought it would be a great way to get hands-on experience with animals of all kinds. It has far ex-

ceeded my expectations; I’ve gotten to handle and bond with so many different types of animals, from rabbits and fer-

rets to Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Every Saturday I know that I’ll be doing something fun with animals; we’ve

done so many great things it’s hard to name all of them. Some of my personal favorite activities are learning new ani-

mal handling skills, taking the dogs on walks, and planning and teaching Kid’s Club. My all time favorite would have to

be cleaning the mammal room, which may not seem like it would be my favorite, but after you’re done cleaning you

get to hold the mammal of whatever cage you cleaned for a while. I absolutely love holding the ferrets. Another thing

that I’ve loved about Teen Tracks is the advisors. Just like at school, how you feel about the class your taking depends

a lot on the teacher you have; Teen Tracks is the same way and I wouldn’t want any other teachers. Rachel, Shannon,

and Adam are three of the best; they all have unique and kind personalities that put everyone at ease and help every-

one learn better. More than just working with animals, Teen Tracks has given me other

skills and strengths. One of the things I really appreciated them teaching me was public

speaking, which almost everyone struggles with at some level. We give animal presenta-

tions in front of groups and it really has increased my confidence. Another great thing

about Teen Tracks is that no one is judged there for any reason. Being in high school, peo-

ple tend to get judged quite a bit, but it’s nice to have a place to go to every week and not

have to worry about any of that. Teen Tracks has been incredibly rewarding for me and I

look forward to working with the animals at future semesters at the Arizona Animal Wel-

fare League. - Maria Dooling

My family and I first heard about AAWL from some friends. We checked it out one day and found that

it was really cool. The cats and dogs were adorable and we got to learn a little bit about the shelter. A

few years later I did a summer program with my friend and we loved it. We got to learn about exotic

animals, play with the cats and dogs, and other fun things. That summer we were informed about a

program that they do called Teen Tracks. They told us it was for kids ages 13 through 17 which

teaches how to handle animals, train and exercise them, how to tell what an animal is feeling, and

signs of stress. You learn how to present animals, and just how to give presentations in general. You

also get to help out around the shelter. Now that I am 13, I was selected to do the program and it is

really fun. It is only my first semester at Teen Tracks and I do not have a lot of experience, but I have learned a ton

about dogs and cats, exotic pets such as ferrets, guinea pigs, mice, and reptiles. Even though the program is only on

Saturdays, every time I go I can expect to have an awesome time. I have made new friends, built confidence, learned a

lot about animals, and have gained experience working with them. Teen Tracks is an amazing program that is fun for

everyone and I can say for myself that it’s a blast. - Harrison Rooney

Page 2 Volume 5, I ssue 2

On November 17, 2012 AAWL’s Teen Track program took the long drive to Wild at Heart Bird of Prey Rescue in North Scottsdale for a service day. Teens (and a parent too!) started right away clearing desert brush around the property, disposing cut branches, digging holes, planting and painting. They worked diligently through the morning hours and helped the organization a great deal. Bob, CEO of the facility, wanted to personally thank each and every teen and let them know what a big difference they truly made. Thank you for your wonderful service and we can’t wait to go back again in the future!

Pick of the Litter

You Gotta Love Ollie Ollie is an energetic, loving 2 year old shepherd mix who has been at the shelter

since early May 2012. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Ollie by participat-ing in AAWL’s “Champion” program. I am Ollie’s champion which means I take him

for outings like for a hike or to the coffee shop and put him up on social media to get him extra exposure. Ollie absolutely loves people and could spend hours play-

ing tug of war, going for walks/hikes and getting belly rubs. Over 7 months is far too long for any dog to spend in a shelter and it is important for Ollie to find his forever home as soon as possible. He is

dog social and very trainable—in fact, he is currently enrolled in AAWL’s Headstart program where volunteers and staff teach basic obedience and good behavior to some of our long-timers. Share Ollie’s profile on Facebook and

Twitter and let friends and family know what a wonderful family pet he is!

- Rachael Gardner Breed: German Shepherd Mix

Adoption Price: $50.00

Gender: Male

Her Royal Highness, Queenie is looking for her furr-ever home. As soon as you see this cutie you will fall in love with her instantly! She loves chin and ear scratches and will let you know when she’s done. Queenie is a low-maintenance cat who keeps to herself but enjoys being in the same room as her humans. She has no history of living with dogs so please introduce her slowly if you own a dog. As she is is not good with other cats, she is recommended for adults only. Queenie has been at AAWL for a year and was taken in to the shelter on her third birthday and is not declawed. She needs a good loving home where she will fit in nicely and will be happy, which I’m sure she will be if you take her home! - Keri Hill

Page 3 Volume 5, I ssue 2

Breed: Domestic Shorthair

Adoption Price: $50.00

Gender: Female

Her Royal Highness

Queenie has been at AAWL’s Adoption

Center since February of 2011! Consider

adopting this sweet, spunky lady!

Stellar Service

The Teen Trackers Visit Wild at Heart

Page 4 Volume 5, I ssue 2

Artist’s Corner

Nicole with her pup, Casey Nicole Judge

"I hope to make people realize how to-tally helpless animals are, how depend-ent on us, trusting as a child must that we will be kind and take care of their

needs. They are an obligation put on us, a responsibility we have no right to ne-

glect, nor violate by cruelty"

- James Herriot

Upon opening my antique dog encyclopedia recently purchased from a second hand bookstore I found a touching passage about man’s best friend on the inside cover. The passage was a quote from Senator George Graham Vest, as a closing argument, for a trial for the killing of a hunting dog by sheep farmers in Missouri in 1869. The passage reminded me of the companionship a dog can offer and how valuable a pet can be. - Rachel Godlewski

Eulogy on the Dog “Gentlemen of the jury: The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and be-come his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.

Gentlemen of the jury: A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in en-counters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no mat-ter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death.”

- Senator George Graham Vine

Page 5 Volume 5, I ssue 2

There is no way to justify a dogfight; it is simply the action of a sadistic hu-man with nothing to offer to society besides their ineptitude and ruthless-ness. Trained from birth, these “fighting dogs” are instructed to attack everything and anything. They are stripped of their dignity and their live-lihoods for the exclusive enjoyment of a sick and twisted human. These dogs are subjected to physical alterations, such as having their teeth sharpened, cutting off their ears and docking their tails. All of these things are exceed-ingly painful for the dogs to endure and no dog should be forced to experi-

ence such barbaric tortures as these. People have to become the voice of these fighting dogs, for they have none. People have to fight for these dogs so they don’t have to fight.

This painting symbolizes the way dogs should be treated versus what is happening right under our noses. Dogs happiness should be a top priority; people don’t enter their children in brutal fights, so what makes it ok to enter a dog into one? Dogs don’t get a say about who raises them, but people can help to reduce animals’ likelihood of ending up in such morbid conditions by simply standing up against those who seek to destroy our companion’s lives. I paint for the sole purpose of ending animal cruelty and injustice, but my works are no match for the shear magnitude of animal cruelty that takes place everyday and the only way to bring an end to it is to find strength in numbers and to have enough courage to change their fates.

- Alexis Hatton

A limerick for Brego “everybody stay in a group” Nalley Brego, who wanted you to follow the rules He knew what to do and suffered no fools He would give you a kiss If something seemed amiss And was a good dog, worth more than gold or jewels

-Thierra Nalley

(Shannon Nalley’s sister)

Brego & Shannon (Brego passed11/24/2012)

Artist’s Corner

Volume 5, I ssue 2

Artist’s Corner

Page 6

Phoebe Sidman

Q: How long have you been in Teen Tracks?

Phoebe Sidman: I started in the fall semester of 2011.

Kendra Wardon: A year and a half (3 semesters)

Jonathan Rooney: 4 years. Well, 7 semesters, I believe. So actually 3 and a half years.

Q: Why did you decide to be a Teen Tracker?

Kendra Wardon: I remember when I won a week at camp in the summer of 2007 from Bear Essentials News. I thought it was so cool that the teens got to interact with the animals and I knew from that point that when I was old enough I wanted to join. I had actually been volunteering with a family friend who was an AAWL volunteer at the time. Meaning that I was actually involved in volunteering before I started Teen Tracks. That is why I joined Teen Tracks.

Q: What is your favorite part of Teen Tracks?

Phoebe Sidman: Umm…there are so many tings that I love about Teen Tracks. From learning about exotic ani-mals and how to handle them, to learning about what really makes a shelter work and also cleaning and helping out in the actual shelter. And, of course, being with dogs, cats, and exotics. But probably one of my favorite things is just being with people that have passion as I do. Just being with people that really want to be at the shelter, want to work with animals, and want to make a difference not only in an animal’s life but also they want to make a difference in the community’s life.

Q: What’s the craziest experience you had at Teen Tracks?

Jonathan Rooney: Believe it or not, we actually used to have some 20th-century technology at the shelter for cleaning (i.e., not a broom and a dust pan). If you look deep in the bowling alley, you may find, among the parch-ment scrolls and leftovers from the last ice age, the defeated remnants of an old Shop Vac. Well, this Shop Vac and I have a rather long history. When I first arrived in the program, you see, it was already on its last legs. But I am not the most work-oriented person; when cleaning the rabbit enclosures, as I was apt to do, I frequently resorted to it to clean to poop off the floor.

Now, if your archeological team has successfully unearthed the remains of which I speak, you’ll find a kink in the hose. If you know a thing or two about rabbits, you know that they produce copious quantities of poop. If you have ever used a vacuum, you know that stuff gets sucked up via the hose. And if you know a thing or two about Murphy, you know that the copious quantities of rabbit poof travelling through the hose rapidly became stuck in that kink. Now, here’s where Shop Vacs are cool: they have an output as well as an input, so that they can, in the-ory, serve as foul-smelling blowers when necessary. And I, being the inexperienced 14-year-old I was, removed the hose and stuck it on the output to clear the jam. Needless to say, this was not the brilliant idea that my 14-year-old self thought it was. When I inevitably became impatient after several seconds of pointing the hose into the trash can, I made a mistake that even Elmer Fudd has learned not to make: I looked down the hose.

This was not a good idea.

The shower of rabbit poop that hit me in the face was not the high point of my day, to say the least. In fact, it was probably the low point of my week. But it was awfully great entertainment, to say the least. I’m not sure that I have ever quite lived that down. Ask Shannon. She’ll tell you.

Volume 5, I ssue 2 Page 7

Ask a Curator

Phoebe

Kendra Jonathan

Which Dog is the Smartest of Them All? An experiment done by Rhiannon Watkins

Coming from a pet owner’s point of view, I know that

many of us often wonder exactly how much smarts our

furry friends have? It is a topic that I hear come up often

in conversations about pets. I always hear about dogs

that sound like four-legged Einsteins and then there are

the ones that are just better at looking pretty. Yet the

real question is, who does have the smartest dog? Is my

dog really as smart as I think he is? Which dog is the

smartest of them all?

For my school science experiment, I decided to focus on

dog intelligence. My dog has proven to be very intelli-

gent in the time I have owned him. He memorizes cer-

tain times specific to routine and even acknowledges

my emotions. Not to mention, he has found a way to get

out of every cage and crate that we have put him in, in-

cluding those of the professional doggy day care! There-

fore, I decided to compare my dog’s intelligence to that

of the dogs that my friends own.

Before starting the experiment, I made a prediction and

created my hypothesis: If I test the intelligence of my dog

and others, then my dog will have the highest score. I

completed some preliminary research to put together

what tests I would use to test each dog’s intelligence.

I came up with a total of seven tests to put the dogs

through that could test not only their IQ, but certain as-

pects of it. These aspects included problem solving, in-

terpreting gestures, spatial perception, short term

memory, and language comprehension. I even tested

paw preference, which can hint towards a dog’s person-

ality. The tests the dogs were put through were as fol-

lows: Is the Treat Still There? (Problem Solving), Drop

the Treat (Spatial Perception), Hide and Seek (Short

Term Memory), Social Learning (Interpreting Gestures),

Name Calling (Language Comprehension), Towel Teaser

Test (Problem Solving), Paw Preference Test

(Personality). Points were assigned according to each

dog’s results and the scoring was as follows: 4-12 =

Low, 13-21 = Medium, 22-28 = High.

The data I collected through per-

forming the tests on each of four

dogs is as follows, starting with

my own dog:

Rhiannon Watkins owns a seven-

year-old male dog named Da-

kota. Dakota is a Brittney Spaniel

mix, whose breed ranks #19 on

the Dog Intelligence List. He

refused to perform the paw

preference test and would not

sit still during the Social Learning test so his results on

Interpreting Gestures may be a little off. However, Da-

kota completed the tests with the following scores: 1

out of 5 in Interpreting Gestures, 5 out of 5 in Language

Comprehension, 7 out of 10 in Problem Solving, 4 out of

5 in Short Term Memory, and 2 out of 3 in Spatial Per-

ception. Dakota’s overall score was a 19/Medium.

Michael Naughton owns a two-year-old female dog

named Katie. Katie is a mix between a Border Collie

(rank #1) and a Bernese Mountain Dog (rank #22). The

results may not be completely accurate because Katie

was shy of strangers and because of her fear, was hesi-

tant and stubborn when completing the tests. Conse-

quently, she refused to perform the paw preference test

and the others required some encouragement. Katie

completed the tests with the following scores: 1 out of 5

in Interpreting Gestures, 1 out of 5 in Language Com-

prehension, 4 out of 10 in Problem Solving, 5 out of 5 in

Short Term Memory, and 2 out of 3 in Spatial Percep-

tion. Katie’s overall score was a 13/Medium. http://

petrix.com/dogint/intelligence.html

Jamie Kazal owns two female Doberman Pinschers, the

first being a 7-month-old puppy called Piper. The Do-

berman Pinscher ranks #5 on the Dog Intelligence List.

Piper was an extremely energetic dog who was very

treat motivated and wasn’t fully trained. She was the

perfect pupil, doing every test as long as she got a treat

out of it. Upon completing the Paw Preference Test it

was proved that Piper has a left paw preference, which

could hint towards a creative mind. Piper completed the

Volume 5, I ssue 2

For Your Consideration

Page 8

Rhiannon with Dakota

tests with the following scores: 5 out of 5 in Interpret-

ing Gestures, 3 out of 5 in Language Comprehension, 10

out of 10 in Problem Solving, 4 out of 5 in Short Term

Memory, and 3 out of 3 in Spatial Perception. Piper’s

overall score was a 25/High.

Jamie Kazal’s other dog is also a female Doberman Pin-

scher, an 11-year-old dog named Mackay. Mackay was

not very treat motivated at all, and required a lot of en-

couragement to perform the tests. The Paw Preference

Test showed that Mackay seemed to be ambidextrous.

Mackay completed the tests with the following scores: 1

out of 5 in Interpreting Gestures, 3 out of 5 in Language

Comprehension, 4 out of 10 in Problem Solving, 4 out of

5 in Short Term Memory, and 2 out of 3 in Spatial Per-

ception. Mackay’s overall score was a 14/Medium.

After completing my experiment, I found that my dog

was in fact not the most intelligent out of those I tested.

Dakota scored a 19, compared to Piper’s high score of

25. While my dog may be quite the escape artist, he is

not the most intelligent dog among those of my circle of

friends. My study has led to further questions that per-

haps may lead to new experiments in the future. Look-

ing at the wide difference in scores of Jamie Kazal’s two

Doberman Pinschers, I wonder if age has anything to do

with dog intelligence. If another experiment were to be

done, I would suggest that results are recorded from

larger group of dogs and averaged by breed or age.

Are you interested in testing your own pet’s intelli-

gence? Please feel free to visit my sources and complete

your own experiment! The second link even includes

intelligence tests for other pets like birds and cats! All

my research came from the following websites:

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/MamBio_p012.shtml?from=Home#summary http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/pets/testyourpet/flat_alternative.shtml

http://www.abc.net.au/animals/dog_test/default.htm

http://www.dogtraining.com/training/?cat=99

Volume 5, I ssue 2 Page 9

For Your Consideration

Cats and Witchcraft: Origins of the Halloween Kitty

The Black Cat and The Black Death: The slaughter of millions of cats during Halloween time can be contributed to the belief that they were evil and would bring bad luck. Christians be-lieved that witches could change their form, and that cats were their reincarnations. Women who happened to keep them as pets for companionship were executed on suspicion of witch-craft.

Ironically, the mass murder of these felines caused a rapid increase in the rat population, thus allowing the Black Plague to spread rapidly through Europe. Rats were excellent carriers of the infectious fleas that harbored the ill-ness, and many people died.

Those who had kept cats in their home had a greater chance of not concocting the plague, which caused people to fear these so-called witches even more.

Origins of Halloween: Halloween began as an ancient Celtic festival that marked the “death” of summer, and the transition into autumn. The Celtic Druids believed that spirits were free to roam the Earth because the veil be-tween living and dead was at it thinnest on this night. When Christianity conquered the pagans, the ritual of Sam-hain (Celtic Halloween) was abolished and instead the Christians participated in All Hallow’s Eve. Convinced that souls in purgatory were released during this time, Christians would go door to door and pray for the lost souls and keep Satan away. The Celtics soon were viewed as witches, celebrating the arrival of the devil, and thousands of innocent people were killed in what is known today as the Salem Witch Trials.

Present Day: During Halloween, and generally the month of October, black cats are very rarely mutilated. Just in case, many owners of black cats will keep their precious feline friends indoors during the festivities.

-Sarah Ritter

Page 10 Volume 5, I ssue 2

Things to Remember

Upcoming Dates: New Teen Application Deadline: January 5, 2013

First Day and Orientation for New Teens: January 19, 2013 Spring Break Jr. Camp Counselor positions open: March 11-15, 2013

See you in the spring!

Have a good idea for the newsletter? Do you have a brilliant idea for future Teen Track Times or want to get more involved in creating

art, success stories or other interesting pieces? E-mail all submissions to Rachael Gardner at

rgardner@aawl.org or call 602-273-6852 ext. 122 if you have questions.

We are proud to offer a brand new series

for students in 9th-12th grade. This Veteri-

nary career exploration program is a

hands-on, fun, and interactive experience.

This series is designed to offer your future

vet a real life look in to the world of vet-

erinary medicine.

Attend all five monthly courses in the

series and receive a certificate of comple-

tion (looks great on college applications).

January 19, 2013 (1:30-

3:30pm) $40

Introducing: Jr. Vet Experience

HAN

DS-O

N V

ETERIN

ARY C

AREER E

XPLO

RATIO

N P

RO

GRAM

class dates

February 9, 2013

(1:30-3:30pm) $40

February 23, 2013

(1:30-3:30pm) $45

March 9, 2013

(1:30-3:30pm) $40

March 11, 12, 18, 19, 2013

(10am-12pm) $40 VISIT WWW.AAWL.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION

To register call 602-273-6852 x.122 or 121

Online: aawl.org