English Club on Pets, Homeless Animals, and More...

Leaders: Olga P. and Helen Ch. 

Fact of the Day: Millions of animals are dying needlessly every year, leaving the U.S. with a 60 percent kill-rate because some communities are choosing not to try something new. June 11, 2011 is the first national day of No Kill Animals in the U.S.

 1. Do/Did you have pets at home? What are/were they? Were you allowed to have a pet in your childhood? What pet did you choose? Why? Have you dreamt to be an owner of an unusual animal? Do you find any obvious benefits or therapeutic effects of pets? Do children suffer less stress and have fewer anxious outbursts if there is a pet in the home? Do children who grow up with pets have less risk of allergies and asthma? Do they learn responsibility, compassion, and empathy from having pets? Are they less cruel in future? 

 

 2. How do you feel when you visit someone and find out a pet? Have you ever been given a pet as a present? What do you think about such a gift? Can pets provide a source of positive, nonverbal communication? Are there any relations between a pet and his/her owner? Do you know stories when animals saved lives of their owners?

3. Do you know people who adore their pets? How pets can affect your mood and health? Are pet owners less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets? Do heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without? How pets can help make healthy lifestyle changes?

4. Have you ever thought about homeless animals? How are homeless animals saved in your country? Are there shelters, animal support or rescue organizations in your city? Have you ever been there? How often do you help adoptable animals? Is killing the only solution to dealing with homeless animals? Do you like to be a volunteer in a shelter? Have you ever dealt with re-homing somebody’s pets or animal rescue charity?

5. Have you found a pet that meets your needs and lifestyle? Are children with autism or other learning difficulties better able to interact with pets than people? Have you ever had an experience of interacting with animals /dolphins, etc./? Is it true that people who love animals are less aggressive?

6. What animal do you fear most? It’s quite understandable why would someone fear a dog or a certain animal but why would someone fear all animals together? Does fear of animals (zoophobia) cause problems? How do childhood experiences affect adulthood?

Schedule:

Saturday, 22 June 2013 – 10.30 am
Thursday, 26 June 2013 – 17.30 pm