DuPage County Animal Care & Control’s
Pet Care & Safety Patch Program
Leader’s Guide
Daisy Level Requirements
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DuPage County Animal Care & Control’s
Pet Care & Safety Patch Program Description DuPage County’s Pet Care & Safety Patch Program consists of three levels: Daisy, Brownie/Cub
Scout, and Junior Girl Scout/Boy Scout. At each level, the scouts participate in a variety of age-
appropriate activities designed to teach her or him about interacting safely and responsibly
with pets. All activities can be done at home or during troop meetings.
The last activity the troop will do is visit DuPage County Animal Care & Control for a tour
(please schedule a month in advance). To schedule a tour, the troop leader should contact
Humane Educator Andy at 630-407-2808 or [email protected]. Tours require a $25
donation and are offered Monday-Friday only. Waivers (see page 18) must be signed by parents
for each child participating, all adults present for the tour must also sign a waiver.
In order for the scouts to earn the Pet Care & Safety Patch the following must occur:
The scouts must complete all required activities prior to the tour date.
The scouts must come to the tour prepared to talk and answer questions about the
activities they did.
Leaders- Please review the following with your troop before introducing the activities:
What is DuPage County Animal Care & Control?
DuPage County Animal Care & Control is an open-admission animal shelter that accepts all
domestic animals. The staff of DCACC takes excellent care of all dogs, cats, and small animals in
their care and works very hard to find them new families to adopt them and give them a loving,
life-long home. DCACC also works to prevent and control rabies and to enforce state and
county animal control and welfare laws, and to teach responsible pet ownership.
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What is the difference between a domestic and a wild animal?
Domestic Wild
Lives in houses or on farms Lives in nature
Bred to help humans Not used to being around people
Requires a human to care for it Cares for itself (food, water, shelter, etc)
How do animals come to DuPage County Animal Care & Control?
Stray
o About 45% of animals at DCACC come in as strays
o Strays are checked for microchips (will be shown during the tour)
o Strays are held for 7 days to give an owner time to reclaim
o At the end of 7 days the animal can be evaluated for adoption
Owner Surrender
o 55% of animals at DCACC come in as owner surrenders
o After a behavioral assessment and veterinary exam they may be placed up for
adoption
Why might someone need to surrender (give up) their pet (have scouts come up with some
answers)?
Moving
Allergies
Landlord won’t allow
Cost of pet care
Too many pets
Behavior/lack of training
New baby
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DuPage County Animal Care & Control’s Pet Care & Safety Patch
Daisy Girl Scout Level
Daisy Girl Scouts must complete the activities listed below, as well as visit DuPage County
Animal Care & Control for a tour (please schedule one month in advance). Tours are offered
Monday-Friday and require $25 donation. DCACC iron on patches can be purchased for $2 a
scout. Please contact Andy Salis, Humane Educator and Special Events Coordinator, at 630-407-
2808 or [email protected] to schedule a tour.
Activity 1- Meeting a New Dog
Meeting a new dog should always be a fun experience. It is important for children to know how
to safely interact with dogs, especially when the dog is unfamiliar to them.
Review the worksheet on meeting a new dog safely with your troop (see page 5) and
have scouts color in the picture.
Have your troop practice meeting a new dog during a meeting using a stuffed dog or
have a scout pretend to be a dog. One person will pretend to be an owner while the
other troop members demonstrate how to follow the steps to stay safe.
Review how to meet a dog safely with your troop using the worksheet Megan Meets a
Mastiff (see page 6 ). Read through the scenario and have troop members answer
questions. (Answers: 1-B, 2-A, 3-B)
Activity 2- Understanding Animal Body Language
Animals cannot tell us with words how they are feeling, instead they have to use their bodies.
Being able to read a dog or cat’s body language is important so that we may interact with them
in a safe and friendly manner.
Pass out the attached dog and cat body language sheets (see pages 7-8).
Review dog and cat body language with your troop.
Show Daisies pictures of cats and dogs (see page 9-13) and have them decide how that
animal is feeling and if it is okay to approach or if it should be left alone.
o Pg 9- Friendly dog: tail relaxed, open/smiling mouth, relaxed ears and body
position
o Pg. 10- Frightened/upset cat: tense body, hackles raised, body arched, tail down
and fluffed
o Pg. 11- Scared dog: hunched posture, looking away, flattened ears, tail curled
under body
o Pg. 12- Angry dog: flat ears, tense posture, wrinkled brow, teeth bared
o Pg 13. Friendly cat: tail up w/ tip pointed, forward ears, relaxed body position
Complete worksheet (see page 14), have Daisies match the appropriate words with each
dog, they can color in the dogs on the worksheet.
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Activity 3- What is a Pet?
Domestic and wild animals are found in different places and have different needs. Knowing how
to differentiate between wild and domestic animals can help keep you and animals safe.
Ask Daisies: What is a pet? Have Daisies name a few examples of pets.
Ask: What are wild animals? Have Daisies name a few examples of wild animals.
A pet is an animal that lives with us that we take care of. A pet is a member of your
family. Ask: How do you treat members of your family? How do you treat your pet?
Pets can’t get things for themselves like a wild animal can, so we have to make sure they
get what they need. Ask: What are some things that pets need? (Answer: food, water,
shelter, grooming, training, love, exercise, veterinary care).
Have Daisies complete worksheet (see page 15)
o Dogs, cat, guinea pig, hamster- home
o Squirrel, raccoon, opossum, owl, deer, alligator- forest
WILD ANIMALS DOMESTIC ANIMALS
Live in nature Live in houses or on farms
Not used to being around people Bred to help humans
Ex: Dogs can herd sheep
Taken care of by people
Ex: People give their pets
food and water everyday
Examples
Coyotes
Deer
Raccoons
Opossums
Squirrels
Examples
Dogs
Cats
Guinea Pigs
Hamsters
Bunnies
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What is a Pet?
Draw a line from each PET to the house. Draw a line from each WILD ANIMAL to the forest.
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Purchase Your DuPage County Animal Care & Control Pet Care
& Safety Patches after your shelter tour.
Patches are available for $2.00 each and can be purchased after
the tour of our shelter.
Educational tours will review everything in this packet as well as give the kids a full “behind the
scenes” tour of our animal shelter which will include a discussion about DCACC and operations.
Tours are offered year round by appointment and are offered to groups totaling 15 or less.
There is a $25 donation required for each tour. Some groups elect to do a service project and
collect supplies for DCACC. Please see our wish list on the next page to learn more about the
types of items needed.
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Wish List
Spray bottles
Extracts/ essential oils
o Lavender
o Vanilla
o Peppermint
o Coconut
o Almond
o Chamomile
Ice cube trays
Bubble blowing machine
Bubbles
Water bottles (empty)
Puzzle feeder/ interactive feeder
Slow feeders
Cream cheese
Cereal boxes (any size)
Nyla-bones
Rope toys
Chicken broth
Empty yogurt containers
Fleece
Toilet paper/paper towel rolls
Catnip
Ping pong balls
Plastic eggs
Wind chimes
Disco ball
Feather & pipe cleaner toys
Bed Comforters & Blankets (new or
gently used, no sheets please)
Martingale-Style Dog Collars (all sizes)
Moist dog treats & training treats
Kitten Milk Replacement Formula
Freedom No-Pull Harness (sizes L & XL)
Baby wipes (any brand)
Long lasting dog chews (U.S. Made only
please)
Paper towels
Canned Dog & Cat food (any brand)
Children’s Books:
Donate books from the list below to be used in our Animal Tales story and activity time.
The Lorax By: Dr. Seuss
It’s Raining Pups and Dogs! By: Jeanne
Prevost and Amelia Hansen
How to Heal a Broken Wing By: Bob
Graham
Beautiful Joe By: Marshall Saunders
Hope: A Pig’s Tale By: Randy Houk
Chained By: Lynne Kelly
Earth heroes: Champions of Wildlife By:
Carol Mainor and Bruce Mainor
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