SciGirls II 2015 Day 1: Animal Shelter

Today was a wonderful day (obviously...because it was the first day of camp)! SciGirls II received a brief introduction to the lab, safety, badges, etc...and then we took our first field trip to the animal shelter. Dr. Barton welcomed the SciGirls, tested their knowledge, and we immediately split into two groups, one group started out with a short tour of the shelter and then watched a real-life cat spay! The other group met some cats, drew their blood, and then tested the blood for cat leukemia and FIV (similar to HIV in humans). We flip-flopped activities, so all girls got to do both the spay assist and blood testing. We learned A LOT! For example, we learned the animal shelter works with local prisons to help train animals and make them more social. We also learned about how pet diseases are not generally transferable to humans (and vice versa) and are species specific.

Next our girls took a short break and split back into two groups. One group looked at the shelter's 'Meet Your Match' program while the other predicted breeds of dogs looking at their phenotypes (physical traits). The 'Meet Your Match' program is used by shelters assess adoptable cats to predict how they’ll behave in a new environment and with a new owner. Cats are categorized as one of nine “feline-alities,” below. This program is backed by scientific research and is a good indicator of what 'feline-alities' would fit with a families lifestyle. More information about this program can be found at: https://www.aspca.org/adopt/meet-your-match/meet-feline-alities

Our first day was a huge success! The girls really mesh well, and we learned and did a lot :) If you would like to donate to the shelter please follow this link (I know I will be dropping off some items this weekend): http://www.talgov.com/animals/animals-donate.aspx