Celebrating National Pet Week: Have fun!

National Pet Week is widely celebrated throughout the United States and other parts of the world. In 2012, National Pet Week is celebrated from May 6-12. The goals of National Pet Week are to promote responsible pet ownership, celebrate the human-animal bond, and promote public awareness of veterinary medicine.  We thought we'd celebrate by posting pet-oriented games for families -- enjoy!

Connect the dots activity (printable)

Visiting the Elementary School Science Fair

We're proud to be regular visitors at the Lake Elmo Elementary School Science Fair, and one night a few weeks ago, Drs. Baillie and Plantz, and five staff members travelled across the street to join in the fun.   We had a classroom, a few tables, and a laptop or two, but the real stars of the evening were Joso (Dr. Baillie's golden retriever), Red the Tortoise (owned by vet tech Kris), and  Crackers the Amazon Parrot (from practice manager Mila).  "There were so many people in there, that we mostly responded to questions from the children", said Dr. Baillie.  "Kris talked about the proper set-up and care for Red the Tortoise, and we fielded many questions about heartworm and tick-borne diseases.  Crackers was very vocal and entertaining and the kids were fascinated by a talking bird.  And Joso, who adores children, may have actually gotten his fill of petting;  he was pretty tired when I got him home!"  The children... and the adults...enjoyed a laptop display of radiographs showing, among other things, a chicken with an egg inside, and we also showed a program on Dog Bite Prevention for children.  (We have staff trained in this kind of work, and sometimes take Dog Bite prevention programs to summer festivals in the area.)

 All in all, we think the children had a good time, and we know that we did.  The Science Fair is one of our favorite nights of the year.  

THE SPIRIT CLUB VISITS CEDAR PET

Lake Elmo Elementary Spirit Club Visits Cedar Pet Clinic Lake Elmo

Last month, Dr. Baillie welcomed the Spirit Club from Lake Elmo Elementary, our neighbors across the street.  The after-school club makes monthly visits to discover what it takes to run a business, and all about being an entrepeneur.  In this case they only had to walk across the street to meet our clinic animals including front-office Kitty Moe, to receive a tour and a talk about being a veterinarian.   Dr. Baillie has been hosting visits and tours for young people for years, including dozens of Girl Scout troops who have played the X-ray guessing game, seen the 'backstage' spaces at the clinic, and learned about animal care.