A sweet dog named Milkshake and her companions at The Haven for Animals are relaxing in style, thanks to some generous, creative students from Bayside Academy of Daphne. The Haven has new dog beds, because eighth graders, assisted by some first graders, recently chose The Haven, located in Fairhope, as the beneficiary of their quarterly project.
According to their teacher, Mrs. Cindy Frederick, “They partnered with our first graders to collect the needed materials and to the dog beds, which were presented to The Haven. It was a fun project for the children. As a follow up activity, the class led an awareness assembly in order to promote pet adoption. They used The Haven’s dog pictures to create excitement about the animals waiting to be adopted.”
The Haven’s Executive Director, Michael Graham, was thrilled to receive the dog beds. “We are moved by Mrs. Frederick and her students at Bayside for making the comfortable and colorful dog beds for the many homeless dogs and puppies that call The Haven home. The special beds provide our furry friends with physical and mental health benefits, which aid them in their journey to find their permanent, loving home.”
The Haven counts on local teachers to support their humane outreach program. He said, “We collaborate with students to help build character development skills, such as compassion and kindness, and to learn pet responsibility. We encourage students to become active animal advocates in the community, where they create a better environment for all animals.”
The project’s eighth graders are Caroline Marron, Courtney Baker, Palmer Angermeier, and Amelia Wells. The first graders are Piper Bindon and Keller Fergus.
Other schools wishing to participate in a Haven project, to help dogs like Milkshake and cats are encouraged to contact The Haven. The nonprofit greatly appreciates the strong support of the communities it serves. The Haven is always in need of supplies, dog and cat food (consider a food drive), monetary donations, and more. An astounding 10,300-plus animals have been adopted, thanks to the hard work of the small staff, many volunteers, and Alabama residents and businesses.
For more information about The Haven, or to see animals available for adoption, please go to the website, www.havenforanimals.org. Adoptions are continuing on an appointment basis. To become a fan of The Haven, go to Facebook.com/havenforanimals, twitter (@HavenforAnimals) and Instagram (@theHavenForAnimals).